#everyone who follows me should listen to i know the end by phoebe bridgers right now

[saltwatersweets]

a slaughterhouse // an outlet mall // slot machines // fear of god

[reidsaurora]

"Funeral" ~ S. Reid

pictures not an actual depiction of reader; Spencer Reid icon by @ofwilliamandwalter (lmk if u guys want the icon)

Summary: After Emily Prentiss's death, Spencer notices his cravings for Dilaudid coming back. In an attempt to distract himself from everything that's happening around him, Spencer begins using weed. Little did he know what one intoxicated phone call would lead to…

Pairing: Spencer Reid x Fem!Reader (reader is Emily's cousin)

Word Count: 2,572

Content Warning: usage of marijuana, Emily's funeral, mild swearing + two uses of "God", sexual humor, mentions of Spencer's drug addiction

Genre: Angst with a lil bit of Fluff and Comfort sprinkled in, sorta Open Ending?

Extra Notes: i kind of forgot Spencer was on a cane at Haley's funeral and not Emily's but it's too late to change it now so AU? // i have never been to a funeral before so my knowledge of how funerals work is v limited

Based On the Song: Funeral by Phoebe Bridgers

Originally Written: over the course of 03/29/2022 to 04/06/2022

Criminal Minds masterlist can be found here!

════ ⋆★⋆ ════

"𝐓𝐨𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐫𝐨𝐰, 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐦𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐠𝐞𝐭 𝐚 𝐩𝐡𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐜𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐬𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐰𝐨𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐟𝐮𝐥, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐦𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐠𝐞𝐭 𝐚 𝐩𝐡𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐜𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐬𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐫𝐢𝐛𝐥𝐞." - 𝐑𝐞𝐠𝐢𝐧𝐚 𝐒𝐩𝐞𝐤𝐭𝐨𝐫

Y/N sat by the phone, waiting for the phone to ring like she did every night at 8:45 p.m.

She took another hit of the joint she was smoking, giggling at the smell when the phone finally began ringing. "Hi," she answered giddily, perhaps a little too giddily.

"Hey," the man on the other side of the phone answered. "How was your day?"

"Awful," she told him, followed by a small chuckle.

"You seem a little happier than you usually do."

"That's because I upped my dose. I just took my second extra hit," she explained. "Told you my day was horrible."

"Yeah, mine was pretty terrible too," he chuckled in agreement.

"Have you had any tonight?"

"Uh, no, actually. I just got home not long ago," he answered.

"Then hit some, silly," Y/N laughed, breathing in the heavy smell of the weed. Changing the subject, she commented, "You know, I'm thinking about changing up the place."

"Are you sure that isn't the weed talking?" he joked as he attempted to find a lighter.

"No," she rolled her eyes. "I'm serious."

"Well, research shows that filling your home with decor of certain colors can improve your mood and help your focus. For instance, blue might make you feel -"

"You're too chatty when you're sober," Y/N giggly interrupted him.

"Sorry," he replied shyly.

"I'm just kidding, Spencer," she apologized. "I love it. I could listen to your voice all night long."

"Well, now I know it's the joint talking," he kidded.

"Spencer Reid, you take that back right now."

"I will not," Spencer argued, finally taking his first hit of the night.

"And why is that?"

He chuckled multiple times, one after another. "Because you know it's true."

"Did you finally find that lighter I could hear you searching for in your junk drawer?"

"Maybe," he chuckled again.

"You know, you're weird when you're high. You always start out really funny and laughy and then you get really sad."

"What do you think I talk to you for? You're like my weed therapist," he said, followed by a small snicker.

Even in her intoxicated state, Y/N still found a way to be offended by his comment.

Due to her silence, Spencer was able to conclude that he'd hurt her feelings. He was quick to apologize though once he realized her mood had suddenly changed. "I meant that as a joke, Y/N. You know I love talking to you."

"Sure," she replied sarcastically. Changing the subject again, she exhaled and commented, "I don't know. I feel like changing my apartment could improve my mood or something. I have a family member who died recently and while we weren't all that close, hearing everyone talk about her has me thinking maybe I should brighten the place up. Which reminds me, if I don't call tomorrow, I have a funeral to go to."

"Huh, small world. I also have a funeral to attend tomorrow."

"Yeah, it's my mom's cousin. They asked me to sing," Y/N said, scoffing at the end of her sentence. "I don't know why everyone in my family is obsessed with my singing voice. Personally, I think I sound terrible," she giggled.

"You're being modest. Your voice is beautiful," Spencer argued.

"Now that… that is the weed talking," she giggled.

"Sing something for me."

Y/N rolled her eyes as if Spencer could see it. "Are we gonna do this every time we call each other?"

"Yes," he answered.

"I'll humor you since it's the two week anniversary of our first call," she told him. "Hey, Jude. Don't make it bad. Take a sad song and make it better," she sang through her end of the phone. "You know, that's what they want me to sing tomorrow. Hey Jude."

Even with her voice slurring from the effects of the weed, her voice still managed to be the most beautiful thing Spencer had ever heard. "It suits your voice. I think they'll love it."

"Kiss ass," Y/N giggled.

"No, I mean it."

"Nope, you're a kiss ass."

"And I suppose you aren't a kiss ass? Even though you compliment my every move?"

"That's because you deserve it, Mr. Genius," she replied matter-of-factly. "I'd trade my voice for your IQ any day of the week."

"Well, we could always join forces and use our skills together."

She knew exactly what he was implying. "Spencer," she stopped him.

"I'm serious. We should meet up in person."

"OK, first of all, you've only been calling me for two weeks. Second of all, you know why we can't do that."

"And why is that?" he questioned sarcastically.

"Because I can't let the FBI know that one of their agents is having phone sex with a known pothead who works two part-time jobs just to stay in D.C."

"We do not have phone sex," he scoffed.

"We should," she blurted out, followed by a long trail of laughter.

"I'm serious though. I think the team would love you."

"They'd love throwing me in jail."

"They'd throw me in with you considering I smoke every bit as much as you do."

"Now you do. Two weeks ago when you started, you would've thought you were hitting a joint of air," Y/N snickered, attempting to stop herself from another full-on laughing fit. She took a deep breath, trying to calm herself, before saying, "You know, you never did fully explain to me why you started smoking all the sudden two weeks ago."

Spencer sighed, noting in the back of his mind that he was about to turn into the sad stoner she'd mentioned earlier. "A couple years ago, I was addicted to Dilaudid. It only lasted for a couple months but it was still a hard thing to get over. As soon as I got the news that my colleague had passed away, I had the urge to start using again. So I thought using something natural like weed would help me, but it's never been as good as the Dilaudid."

"I once had a boyfriend who told me, 'The last is never as good as the first,'" she told him. "He claimed he was talking about how weed would never be able to replace acid, but I'm still convinced he was talking about one of his ex girlfriends."

Spencer chuckled at her statement, though he knew there was some truth in her ex boyfriend's words. He randomly glanced at the clock, noticing it was past his normal bedtime. "I gotta go but I'll call tomorrow if I get a chance," he told her.

"Good night, Doctor."

He felt a small blush appear on his cheeks, secretly grateful that she couldn't see him. "Good night."

☆☆☆

The next day, Y/N found herself dressed in her favorite black dress and sporting some dark lipstick, stepping out of her car at the cemetery.

The gathering was small, much to Y/N's surprise when one considered her great-aunt was a U.S. Ambassador. She always assumed that her great-aunt knew practically anyone and everyone.

Y/N spritzed herself with perfume one last time, insecure about the possibility of her clothes smelling like weed, before taking a deep breath and walking over to the crowd of people.

Meanwhile, at Spencer's funeral, he found himself limping over to a group of people he knew, questioning why he used that damn cane considering how it frustrated him more than it did anything else. Spencer stayed close to the few people he knew, a.k.a. his colleagues, nervous to talk to anyone else. He, too, was insecure about the smell of his clothes, though it wasn't until one of his coworkers made a comment that he actually thought about the smell.

"God, Reid, you been burning incense on the car ride over here?" Derek laughed.

"You know, Morgan, incense actually has many health benefits. For instance, lavender incense has been known to aid sleep and reduce stress and anxiety," Spencer corrected him.

"Well, maybe try a different scent next time," his colleague chuckled.

Just then, Spencer felt someone bump into him. He was sure it was his own fault, seeing as he was paying attention to Derek and not where he was going. "Sorry," he blurted out.

"No, it was my fault. I'm sorry," a voice, a familiar voice, replied.

Spencer took in the sight and scent of this woman who bumped into him. He noted that she smelled strongly of patchouli and vanilla, and that the dress she was wearing fit her body perfectly. He couldn't lie, he was intoxicated by her, and he'd only said one word to her.

She gave him a quick, awkward smile before running off after a woman who looked almost exactly like her, just older, and the woman he knew to be… Emily Prentiss's mother?

"Woo-hoo, lover boy," Derek kidded, waving his hand in front of Spencer's face.

"Huh?" he asked, breaking away from his trance.

"Need I remind you we're at a funeral? Emily's funeral?"

"Sorry," Spencer shrugged. "You're right."

"Hey, I'm not saying she wasn't pretty. But she was walking away with the most important woman here."

Spencer sighed, nodding in agreement with coworker.

Derek began walking off toward his seat, Spencer hobbling off behind him.

Elsewhere, Y/N sat down next to her mother and great-aunt, feeling both sets of their eyes staring holes through her.

"Is that really the most funeral-appropriate dress you had?" her mother whispered.

"I think Emily would approve of my dress. Don't you think, Aunt Eliza?" Y/N quipped, situating her dress as best she could while remaining seated.

"Emily, yes. The rest of your family, no," Elizabeth commented, almost daringly.

Y/N smirked. "Good thing we're here to honor Emily and not the rest of the family."

"Y/N," her mother scolded.

Y/N rolled her eyes, turning back to face toward the front. She felt a separate pair of eyes on her, glancing around and attempting to figure out who else was staring at her.

Finally, she spotted the extra set of eyes, sitting in the front row on the opposite side, where the pallbearers were seated. It was the man she accidentally bumped into earlier, the one with the cane. She thought at first he was also concerned about her dress, but realized his expression was much more gentle than judgemental.

She shot him a smile, causing him to nervously look away. Once she was sure his eyes were no longer on him, she took a moment to look him over. She couldn't lie, she found him quite attractive, but had to reel herself back in. After all, she was at a funeral.

☆☆☆

"At this time, we'd like to invite Y/N Y/L/N to sing one of Emily's favorite songs," the priest introduced Y/N.

She took a deep breath as she walked up to the mic. She took one final sigh before the song began playing over the speaker.

"Hey, Jude. Don't make it bad," she began singing. Her eyes were clenched shut, knowing if she so much as even thought about anyone looking at her, she'd teleport back to her seat.

Spencer felt a breath hitch in the back of his throat. He finally realized where he knew her voice from, the girl on the phone.

He kept his composure, distracting himself by focusing on the sound of her voice. He knew she had a beautiful voice, but he didn't realize how much more he'd appreciate it when he was sober.

Once she finished her song, Y/N practically ran back to her seat. She knew she should've taken an edible or something to calm her nerves beforehand, but she remembered that she promised she wouldn't for Emily's sake.

Spencer looked at her from across the way, noticing a shift in her body language. He could tell she was nervous, and figured it was probably because of the lack of marijuana in her system.

Fortunately for Y/N, singing "Hey Jude" was a sign they were in the home-stretch. All that was left was Emily's burial and the reception, which she wasn't technically required to attend.

However, two hours later, she found herself surrounded by pretentious businessmen and women in flamboyant suit-dresses.

"Thank you," Y/N said as yet another businessman complimented her performance and walked away. She shot an annoyed glance to her mother, who simply replied with an eye roll.

"Don't act like you don't like the recognition," she'd commented multiple times throughout the afternoon.

Nevertheless, Y/N attempted to blow it off and have a good time.

However, when the man from before came hobbling along with his cane, she found it hard to focus on anything else besides figuring out why he'd been staring at her earlier.

"Hi," he smiled awkwardly once he'd finally reached Y/N.

"Hi," she smiled back in a similar tone.

"I just wanted to compliment you on your performance earlier," he explained.

"Thank you," she replied. She could've sworn he sounded familiar.

"You know, your voice reminds me of someone I heard sing that song before."

"Yours too," Y/N thought. Instead, she opted for a kind smile, as she was unsure what to say.

"Reid!" a tall, black man called for the brunette in front of her.

Y/N's eyes widened when she heard the name. "Oh, my God. You're Spencer?" she asked.

He gave her a kind smile, nodding at her question. "And you're Y/N," he sighed, overwhelmed with internal joy from finally meeting the woman on the phone.

"Reid, why'd you lea- Oh," the other man said as he walked up. He gave Spencer a teasing look once he'd assessed the situation.

"What?" Spencer asked, confused by his colleague's behavior.

"Aren't you gonna introduce me to your friend?" he smirked.

Spencer sighed in annoyance. "Y/N, this is Derek Morgan. Morgan, this is Y/N."

Y/N held out her hand, Derek taking it in his immediately. Derek was silent for a moment, but he could've sworn he smelled… weed?

It was like a switch clicked in his brain. Spencer smelling like incense, Y/N smelling like weed.

Spencer must've noticed a change in Derek's behavior, seeing as the next thing he asked was, "What? What do you know?"

Derek smirked. "I don't know what you're talking about, pretty boy."

"You know something. You have that look you always get when you know something's up," Spencer reiterated.

"Nothing," he said, "Just that it makes sense as to why you smell like incense and why you never go out at night anymore."

Spencer's and Y/N's eyes both widened, realizing what he meant.

"Don't. Tell. Anyone," Spencer demanded.

Derek began walking away, a smug smile still across his face.

"Morgan!" Spencer called, attempting to run after him as best he could while still using his cane.

"Hey," Y/N stopped him, grabbing his hand. She couldn't believe she was finally touching him for the first time, much less holding his hand.

Spencer turned back to look at Y/N, who had a smirk matching Derek's plastered on her face. "Yeah?"

"Call me later… pretty boy."

Spencer turned away to hide the blush on his face that she'd just caused. He looked forward to calling Y/N every night, but this was a call he knew he'd never want to miss.

"𝐇𝐞 𝐭𝐨𝐮𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐝 𝐦𝐲 𝐬𝐨𝐮𝐥 𝐥𝐨𝐧𝐠 𝐛𝐞𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐈 𝐤𝐧𝐞𝐰 𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐬 𝐟𝐞𝐥𝐭 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞." - 𝐍𝐢𝐤𝐤𝐢 𝐑𝐨𝐰𝐞

════ ⋆★⋆ ════

y'all, there was a very specific idea that came to my mind the first couple times i listened to this song. i just wanna apologize that this was that idea 🤣 i srsly don't know how i got here

════ ⋆★⋆ ════

↳ Request an imagine here!

↳ Join my taglist here!

↳ Get to know me here!

↳ TAGLIST: @ohhmychuck @lowsodiumfreaks67 @drayshadow @alexxavicry @nomajdetective @kbakery @leigh70 @darkloverfox

☆𝐓𝐑𝐄𝐀𝐓 𝐀𝐋𝐋 𝐏𝐄𝐎𝐏𝐋𝐄 𝐖𝐈𝐓𝐇 𝐊𝐈𝐍𝐃𝐍𝐄𝐒𝐒☆

[kidslovecudi]

Man On The Moon III: The Chosen - Album Review By “kidslovecudi“

Before I say anything about this album, let me say that I am so excited that Cudi is finally releasing new music! Speaking for all Cudi fans, we have all been waiting for new solo material from the moon man for the longest time and the few teasers he’s been releasing over the last year, with “Leader Of The Delinquents” and his collaborations with Travis Scott, (“The Scotts”) and Eminem (“The Adventures of Moon Man & Slim Shady”) have not been enough to fully satisfy us. With Man on The Moon III: The Chosen, Cudi fulfills on a promise to his fans he made years ago and gives us quite a lot to digest. However despite how fulfilling this record is, Cudi still manages to leave you on the edge of your seat wanting more and I personally can’t wait to see what he’s going to do next!

1. Beautiful Trip (Intro)

Produced by Kid Cudi, FINNEAS, Plain Pat, Emile Haynie & Dot Da Genius

And it starts...

2. Tequila Shots  ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ 

Produced by Kid Cudi, Dot Da Genius & Take a Daytrip

On this first track Cudi brings us back into the dark world of the moon man but this time with a new outlook. Referencing his previous works, Cudi aims to prove that he’s “not just some sad dude” and feels that despite his mental well being still occasionally being unstable he’s ready for whatever he has to face. What I loved most about this record was Cudi’s consistency. Throughout the years Cudi has mastered the art of having his own unique galactic sound that transcends through all of his music, despite the genre, and that sound is very present here. Along with his classic hums and hypnotic melodies, this track, known as the fan favorite, has the potential to be a classic.

3. Another Day ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐

Produced by Dot Da Genius, Nosaj Thing & Take a Daytrip

When I first heard this song, I absolutely lost my shit. Cudi started this album off swinging and I was not prepared for him to go so hard. I’ve had this song on repeat quite a few times since I first heard it and along with the beat being absolutely sick, Cudi is rapping his ass off! My favorite part is when the beat breaks down in the second chorus, and I get hype as fuck every single time.

4. She Knows This ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐

 Produced by J Gramm, FnZ & Dot Da Genius                  

This song on first listen reminded me of a song by another of my favorite artists, called “The Let Out” by Jidenna but Cudi took it to a whole other level and isn’t as repetitive. Once the track speeds up Cudi goes even harder with even trippier sounds that will make you feel like you’re driving through space. One of my favorite things about this album is that a lot of the songs change in the middle keeping you that much more engaged in the whole song than to quickly digest it, like a lot of records on mainstream radio. On top of that his bars are on complete fire and it’s always great to see Cudi flex his rapping skill that a lot of people don’t give him credit for.

5. Dive ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐

Produced by Dot Da Genius, Anthony Kilhoffer, Aaron Bow & Teddy Walton

Dive ends the first act of the album and serves as Cudi’s goodbye to his fantasy high. The guitar riffs at the beginning of the song is my favorite part and I wish they were made a bigger part of the song. However this song is classic Cudi, I initially thought it was missing something but after listening to it on it’s own a few more times, I feel like this song is absolutely perfect. It’s groovy as fuck and  I think because it kind of ends so abruptly that it leaves a lot to be desired, but that also might have been Cudi’s intent, allowing it to serve as interlude of sorts. I loved the transitional elements through out the song, like when the bass comes in, his adlibs throughout the song and especially the echoing adlibs like, “MOVE, MOVE” “towards the end. It takes a few really good listens to fully enjoy the song as a whole, like it did for me but the more I played the album the more and more I fell in love with it.

6. Damaged ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐

Produced by MIKE DEAN, Dot Da Genius & Take a Daytrip

I loved the words to this song and the overall message that Cudi was trying to convey throughout the song, but the song itself didn’t do a whole lot for me until I actually found myself in a similar dark place. It’s one of those classic Cudi records that really makes you sit and reflect on your life and everything you’ve gone through, which was exactly what the song did for me. This song is where the album starts to slow down a bit and Cudi sings and raps about his trials and tribulations of being a damaged man and that sometimes his demons still come back and he has to deal with them. A common struggle most of us who’ve ever dealt with feelings of anxiety and depression all know too well.

7. Heaven on Earth⭐ ⭐ ⭐

 Produced by Dot Da Genius, Anthony Kilhoffer & DST The Danger

This song really didn’t do a whole lot for me but what I loved the most about it again, were it’s adlibs. Cudi really showed out with the adlibs on this album and that’s what made this song enjoyable for me. The song for me just sounded too typical to me but even despite that, it’s still a great track to vibe to, just not something I’d put on my favorites.

8. Show Out (feat. Skepta & Pop Smoke) ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐

Produced by Dot Da Genius, Anthony Kilhoffer & DST The Danger

Easily one of my favorite tracks on the album, when I first heard this, I completely lost my my shit and it was almost impossible not to turn my entire bedroom upside down. For one beat is absolutely sick and picks the tempo right back up. Cudi, Skepta and Pop Smoke’s voices are infectious together and everyone shines on this song without any one of them over shadowing the other’s performance. Definite a track to rage the fuck out to.

9. Mr. Solo Dolo III ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐

Produced by Kid Cudi, Audio Anthem, Dot Da Genius & Plain Pat

This song is trippy as fuck. From beginning to end this song takes you on an absolutely journey from the chords and the keys and there are no words to describe it. I remember playing this song while I was driving home from work on my scooter at night and man oh man, the vibes this song had was incredible. It made me feel like I was traveling to another galaxy. As a loner, this song really spoke to me and it made me feel like someone else understood exactly how I felt. My favorite part was his scream after the second verse. It made me feel free and liberated and that my feelings in that moment had been validated.

10. Sad People ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐

Produced by Dot Da Genius & Take a Daytrip

This song is an absolute vibe. Cudi’s in his bag, back in his zone, as he said and my favorite thing about this song is the chorus. Cudi’s harmonies are absolutely incredible and my favorite part is towards the end of the chorus when the song takes on an eerie west coast like synth and it’s absolutely infectious.It’s like a dark B side to “Cudi Zone” from the first album which is one of my favorite songs by Cudi to this day. It’s songs like this that made Cudi the legendary moon man that he his, in the first place.

11. Elsie’s Baby Boy (flashback) ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐

Produced by E*Vax, Kid Cudi, Heavy Mellow & Dot Da Genius

This song sounded like a leftover track from “Speedin’ Bullet To Heaven” and despite how much negative criticism that album got, I absolutely love when Cudi dives into his alternative roots and I really hope he decides to dive deeper into it even further at some point. In this song Cudi sings about his relationship with his mother Elsie and his childhood upbringings. By this it in turn gave me flashbacks to my relationship with my grandmother and my childhood memories which all brought back happy and sad moments for me.

12. Sept. 16 ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐

Produced by Emile Haynie, FINNEAS, Plain Pat & Dot Da Genius

What I loved the most about this record was Cudi’s vulnerability. Cudi has a few rare moments on his albums where he actually sings about love and being in love and it’s always great to hear. Cudi’s such a hopeless romantic and I love when he let’s his guard down and expresses his feelings. This song takes me back to “Kitchen” on “Passion, Pain, & Demon Slayin’“ and though I love that song more, this song was definitely cooked in the same pot.

13. The Void ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐

Produced by Dot Da Genius, Kid Cudi & MIKE DEAN

The most uplifting song from the album, this song takes me back to some of the vibes from the first album, like his song “Up, Up, and Away”. That was one of the songs in my high school days that made me fully accept myself for who I was, regardless of what people said and this song is just as motivating and uplifting. On the same wave of “Reborn”, Cudi sings about avoiding all negativity on this record and only focusing on the positive. I almost cried towards the end when he thanked us, his fans, for staying with him and never leaving him. It’s a very beautiful song, but I just personally feel like this song should have been the one to end the album or close to end because to me this track is a hard one to follow behind.

14. Lovin’ Me (feat. Phoebe Bridgers) ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐

Produced by William J. Sullivan, Charlie Handsome, Rami Beatz & Dot Da Genius

It took a little while for this song to set in for me but after it did, it made me want to cry. If you ever struggled with self-love or self-acceptance then this song is for you. What I loved most about this song was the message because it really hit home for me. It’s a beautiful anthem about finding happiness within yourself that I feel a lot of people will relate to.

15. The Pale Moonlight ⭐ ⭐ ⭐

Produced by E*Vax, Rami Beatz & Dot Da Genius

Wasn’t feeling this one all too much, but what I loved about it most again, were the adlibs. I loved Cudi’s multiple layering of his vocals throughout the song, especially the “la-la-la-la” parts. The sounds very remiscent to some of Cudi’s earlier music and if you didn’t know any better you’d swear this was a leftover track from “The End Of Day”.

16. Rockstar Knights (feat. Trippie Redd) ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Produced by Jenius, WondaGurl, MIKE DEAN, Dot Da Genius & Take a Daytrip

I’m not a big fan of Trippie Redd but I really fuck with his contributions on this song. This is another song where I really loved the chorus and I also love Cudi’s flow once his verse comes in. Cudi’s wordplay is out of this world on this record and it’s hard not to beat your head as Cudi delivers bar for bar for bar throughout his entire verse. Cudi really shines on this record with his skills as a MC and if Cudi ever felt he had anything to prove as a rapper, he definitely did that here. As the song ends it feels like Cudi just turned the spaceship on hyperdrive and took us along for the ride as he drifted further and further into space- Totally sick.

17. 4 da Kidz ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Produced by WondaGurl, MIKE DEAN, Dot Da Genius, 18YOMAN & Take a Daytrip

A song dedicated to the “kidz” reminding us that we are not alone and this song is another song to vibe out to. With instructions from Cudi, to turn it loud if we need to, this song, on the same frequency as “love.” is another song where Cudi is speaking to us as our big brother and giving us a well needed pep talk. What I loved most about it was Cudi’s vocals on the chorus, especially the way he pronounced the “oo” vowel sounds. It was very reminiscent of a Baltimore accent which I always found comical in the best way which is one of things I love the most about Cudi. He’s not afraid to try different things or pull different things from his various influences despite the genre and on this record, he ties them up beautifully.

18. Lord I Know ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Produced by MIKE DEAN, Dot Da Genius, 18YOMAN & Take a Daytrip

Serving as the closer to the album and the man on the moon trilogy, this song is a classic Cudi hym that tells us that we’re not alone regardless of what we face in life. What I liked most about this song was the message, and that’s why I rate it so highly. In this song Cudi expresses being content with the path he’s on at life and after everything he’s gone through, it makes me happy to finally hear that he’s found peace within himself. The song/album ends with his daughter Vada saying, “To be continued” and I can’t wait to see what Cudi has in store for us next. I just have a strong feeling that all of us Cudi fans are about to eat REAL GOOD.

There’s been a lot said about this album, good and bad but I feel this album is merely a taste of what’s to come. Is this record my favorite? No, but what I can say is that it’s an ALBUM, meaning it’s not a group of songs that you can easily separate like many others. This is the kind of album where you have to play the whole thing all the way through time in and time again to really get what Cudi was trying to convey. It’s not a record that you can just play a few times and be done with, no, it’s a grower. There were a lot of songs on this record that I did not like at first, but after having some time to let them marinate, they became some of my favorites and it made me truly appreciate Kid Cudi as an artist because people don’t make albums like this anymore. There’s rare artists that are this detailed with the way the songs transitions, the interludes, and how copacetic the album is in it’s entirety. This album was truly a gift and I can’t wait to see what else Cudi has left up his sleeve.

                                          Top Favorite Songs

                                                  Another Day

                                                          Dive

                                                Tequila Shots

                                             Rockstar Knights

                                                     The Void

                                              Mr. Solo Dolo III

                                  Listen For Yourself Here!

[shemakesmusic-uk]

Pixey has released her new EP Free To Love in Colour as well as the video for stand out track 'The Mersey Line'. Speaking about the EP, she says: “I wanted a collection of tracks which gave a quick snapshot into me and my brain – where I’m from, where I want to be and what I’m thinking about. I hope people can take something meaningful from it or simply have a dance.” Of the new video for ‘The Mersey Line’, she adds: “‘The Mersey Line’ video was shot in one day at all my favourite haunts around the city. The song itself is about the walkway line along the River Mersey, so we retraced the steps I used to take as a kid and also when I was starting out as a musician. I would write lyrics to my songs along the same path. I wanted something that sums me up wholly as a person, and I’d say the video does just that.” [via Dork]

After turning a short TikTok video shot in her car into an empowering body acceptance anthem with over 70 million streams, Vancouver-based pop singer and songwriter JESSIA shares the music video for her breakthrough anthem 'I’m not Pretty' via Artist Driven Records/Republic Records. Watch the video directed by Benjamin Lussier. In the visual, JESSIA steps through the looking glass to confront her insecurities in a playful and tongue-in-cheek kind of way and falls down a rabbit hole into an imaginary yet cinematic eye-popping peach filled wonderland inspired by Roald Dahl’s ‘James and The Giant Peach’.  The video illuminates the rising artist’s fun and quirky persona, which is as infectious as the song itself. On shooting the video for 'I’m not Pretty' JESSIA says, “Filming the music video was such a surreal experience.  I kept looking around set and asking myself, ‘are all of these people here for me and my song? What? Am I really here right now? What a time. It was such a party on set! SUCH A BLAST!”

Feminism often focuses on the pressures placed on women in society, but men face their own set of pressures as well, and these are very much connected to the oppression women face. Would we have such high rates of domestic abuse if men weren’t taught to express themselves through violence? Would the sexual assault epidemic be what it is if straight men were not taught to view women as conquests? And if men could be free from these constraints, how would the world look different? Stockholm-based pop artist Elin Blom, known by her stage name FELIN, explores questions like these in her latest single 'Dear Boys,' an open letter to men who commit violence and mistreat women. “Dear guys/did your parents treat you right?/or did they teach you not to cry?” she sings against deceptively upbeat drums and bass. The song is intentionally poppy with an edge and roughness to it. Written at an all female writing camp in Stockholm, it utilizes an all-female writing and production team. With the single, Blom wanted to send her listeners the message that “it isn’t manly to be an asshole and not care about how you treat your children or care about how you treat women,” she says. “It isn’t manly to crack sexist jokes; that’s just rude behavior. It’s way more manly and brave to wear a dress no matter what your friends think, or to speak up against abuse or abusive and sexist language.” In the video she looks at the more positive side of the equation, celebrating people who don’t confirm to their gender roles with shots of actors exhibiting a variety of gender expressions and styles. In the beginning, she speaks out loud: “My heroes are those who dare to express who they are, fully, with no holding back. This is about those heroes; this is their moment. It was important for us to find a mix of men in different ages, with different sexualities and backgrounds, to show that it’s okay to wear [whatever] and be whoever you want no matter what you do for work, where you come from, or where you live,” she tells Audiofemme. [via Audiofemme]

For a record about the tedium of teenage life in the suburbs, 'Wasteland' is quite the grandiose introduction. The first single released ahead of Alex McArtor’s Welcome to the Wasteland EP introduces the project as both an opus of both catchy electropop and swelling orchestral compositions, all cowering behind the bold, slightly country-twanged voice of the young vocalist. The single arrives today alongside a darkly bizarre visual co-directed by (with Dwyer O’Brien and Ava McArtor) and co-starring (with O’Brien, Ava, and Campbell Barton) the vocalist, with McArtor name-dropping David Lynch as an influence. “‘Wasteland’ is the opening scene of this sonic film I had in my mind that turned into the Welcome to the Wasteland EP,” she shares. “It sets up the characters that are present throughout the rest of the EP and the environment in which they live, both spiritually and physically. ‘Wasteland’ represents a person, a place, or a feeling of recognizing a dead end. It’s like being stuck inside this geodesic dome and feeling controlled or watched by Big Brother and yet knowing that there is something else going on somewhere else.” [via FLOOD]

Back in January, Quilt frontwoman Anna Fox Rochinski announced her solo debut Cherry. The latest cut from Cherry is called 'Everybody’s Down.' Here’s what Rochinski had to say about it: “'Everybody’s Down' is a song that’s meant to be a little abstract but is generally about feeling run down and bewildered by rampant complicity during catastrophic times. EVERYBODY’S down, including you and me. And yes, also, “down” like bummed, if that speaks to you. And yes, also “down” as in, just casually down to do something, like, down to go grab food with your homies or whatever. It’s a triple entendre. We all feel all of these things every day. It’s a lot. Literally all I can do anymore to stay sane is have a sense of humor and laugh at stuff. I am so much less randomly sentimental than I used to be, but I think it’s because I have learned what really deserves my love and attention. There was a primordial version of this song that I brought in to (album producers) Carlos and Julian, but in the studio, we would visit it at the end of the night after all our serious work was done and throw stuff at the wall to see what would stick. It was like a way to release tension, and we didn’t take it very seriously. We made this minimal, weird, scuzzy instrumental with bass, guitar, synth and programmed drums, and I then took this raw creation home and worked out the structure and the melody and lyrics. In the end, I fell in love with this song, much to my surprise." Musically, 'Everybody’s Down' continues Rochinski’s exploration into a plastic disco-funk like its predecessors. It’s accompanied by a video directed by OTIUM. [via Stereogum]

Molly Lewis is a world-renowned whistler from Australia. In recent years she has been based in Los Angeles, where her Café Molly events have supposedly attracted the likes of Karen O and Mac DeMarco. Now the esteemed indie label Jagjaguwar announced that it has signed Lewis. Her first single for Jagjaguwar, 'Oceanic Feeling,' is out now. It’s a peculiar song with an even more peculiar video. 'Oceanic Feeling' is a wordless ballad that, between its high lonesome gallop and Lewis’ whistled melody, seems like it could be shoehorned into an old Spaghetti Western. But there are also elements of lounge jazz and exotica in the mix, particularly when Leon Michels’ saxophone enters halfway through. In the video, Lewis dresses like a medieval maiden(?) and music-adjacent Hollywood star and Café Molly regular John C. Reilly mimes the sax part while wearing an outfit that recalls the Burger King. I am not sure if any of this could be described as “good,” exactly, but it’s definitely unique! [via Stereogum]

Mannequin Pussy have announced a new EP, Perfect, their first new material since 2019’s excellent Patience. Last week, the Philadelphia-based band announced that founding guitarist Thanasi Paul had left the band, which means that Mannequin Pussy are forging ahead as a three-piece. Last year, they got together to record five new songs with producer Will Yip, who also produced Patience, that were influenced by our past year of collective isolation. 'Control' is the first song they’re sharing from the EP, and it starts off slow and methodic, as bandleader Marisa Dabice insists: “I’m in control/ That’s what I tell myself/ When all the walls around me close in.” Mannequin Pussy’s songs have often been about trying to enforce some control over uncontrollable emotions and exploding when that’s just not possible, and sure enough 'Control' bursts apart in its second half, a dizzying but still pretty escalation of guitars and noise. [via Stereogum]

Bloxx have dropped a brand new single, ‘Everything I’ve Ever Learned’. The track is the first new material from the band since last year’s debut album Lie Out Loud, and is produced by Rich Turvey (Blossoms, Oscar Lang). Speaking about ‘Everything I’ve Ever Learned’, Fee Booth explains: “The last two years for me have been very difficult, with health scares and anxiety hitting the roof. This song was really important in my journey to stop trying to understand everything, and to just accept the cards you’re dealt and make it work for you. It taught me to keep holding on, even when your grip is loose. The depth of what it means to me as a person is so crazy for just a four minute piece of music. It faces the trials of life, and everything that you wish you’d have been taught before having to face it all brutally, in the real world. It’s basically a self help song, it’s for everyone that needs to hear it. “You should learn to hold on, it’s not the end of the world” [via Dork]

Before the pandemic hit, beabadoobee was set to tour with Phoebe Bridgers and Dirty Hit labelmates The 1975. While that trek obviously never got on the road, the UK-based songwriter still managed to link up with 1975’s Matty Healy and George Daniel to collaborate on the follow-up to her excellent debut album, Fake It Flowers. beabadoobee is now previewing that effort, cleverly titled Our Extended Play EP, with the new single 'Last Day on Earth'. Fans have long known of the mutual appreciation between bea and Healy, and the pair have been teasing their collaboration for some time. The new single is rather clearly the result of beabadoobee’s sound meeting The 1975’s. That distinct ’90s indie melody that made Fake It Flowers one of 2020’s best albums carries through here, only now the vocal cadences recall some of Healy’s more measured moments. The result is a dreamier, more lighthearted beabadoobee, further closing the gap between the nostalgic styles that originally inspired her and modern indie music. Unsurprisingly, it remains as infectious as anything either artist involved in its creation has ever done. “With this EP, it’s kind of alluding to the fact that I kind of want to, you know, have a sound that sounds like beabadoobee rather than someone saying it reminds them of something else,” beabadoobee tells Consequence. “I don’t think it’s a whole new era just yet… I still have blonde hair, the same blonde I had for Fake It Flowers, and every EP I have is almost like who I am right now — right this second. That’s everything I write about in this EP. I haven’t really changed my look and I always base eras on my look, like, ‘Oh, what color am I going to dye my hair this time?’ But I’m pretty comfortable right now. I’m pretty chill.” 'Last Day on Earth' comes with a video directed by Arnaud Bresson of Division Paris. The clip finds beabadobee exploring all the things she would have done if she’d known normalcy would be stripped from us a week in advance. [via Consequence of Sound]

Inspired by Nestlé TV adverts, K-Pop music videos and the Oscar-nominated 70s film Five Easy Pieces, Irish pop icon CMAT has shared a new video to accompany her fourth single ‘I Don’t Really Care For You’. Adorned in a fabulous snake-skin blazer and skirt combo, the pop starlet performs an impressive and joyful dance routine opposite a mute bearded beauty who’s Instagram followers are set to double in the next few hours. “The director Eilís approached me some time ago to make a music video, and I really wanted it to be for ‘I Don’t Really Care For You’ because I knew she would be able to capture the high energy mood of the song, and also we are into the same old, niche and ugly design stuff,” CMAT explains. “The dream sequence was inspired by a Nestle ad from the 1980s. The choreographer, Nick, made my dreams come true. I was like, ‘I want to dance like Blackpink, but I have absolutely no technical ability whatsoever.’ I think that much is evident in the video but we pulled it off!” Full of CMAT’s lush, yearning vocals, relatable lyrics and Americana-tinged guitars, ‘I Don’t Really Care For You’ is a song that sees her swallow her pride and admit to sometimes being “the bigger dickhead in a relationship.” The witty set of accompanying visuals show CMAT at her finest, exuding a charisma that lights up the screen as she leans into “the Marian Keyes of it all.” [via Get In Her Ears]

Nordic pop sensation Anna Of The North has shared her new single 'Here's To Another'. The songwriter swoops back into action, crafting a follow up to her Internationally successful 2019 album Dream Girl. A new album will follow later this year, with 'Here's To Another' finding its way online. An all-out Scandi pop banger from one of the best in the game, the single is a finely sculpted slice of electronic melody. 'Here's To Another' twists and contorts, before its final head-long release results in a glorious chorus. [via Clash]

American songwriter Natalie Bergman has shared new song 'Home At Last'. The new single dips into her country and Americana roots, while adding some soothing gospel elements. There's some sumptuous harmonies sitting around her voice, a soft pillow for Natalie Bergman to relax into. The beautiful video is online now, shot in an abandoned chapel, one that brings out new meaning to her lyrics: “Answer my prayer, when a great man falls and the skies collapse, where’s the joy in this world, is he home at last?” Natalie explains... “I have always written songs about ‘home.’ A place that is not on this earth. It brings me a great deal of comfort knowing that place is waiting for me - especially when life can be so alienating and lonely... In the video for ‘Home At Last’ I found a small chapel in Los Angeles and the moment I saw the stained-glass... I felt like it belonged to me. One of the best things about making music is sharing it with the people you love. Playing it with your friends and family. I invited my favorite artists to be a part of this performance and I asked them to think about what heaven might look like to them.” [via Clash]

UK band Crawlers may only have three other singles but they’re definitely not your standard alternative indie underdog. The group of four secured air time on BBC radio and were featured in two Spotify editorial pages. Their new single 'Statues' came out on the nineteenth. It only proves this bands remarkable character. The vocals corrosively discharge acerbic phrases, “You make me so calm, let the statues fall”. Holly Minto invites you to participate in tormented ambiance. The guitar slays the entire track, no thanks to Amy Woodall, jolting the listener out of an ignorant slumber. The guitar makes for a perfect incumbent of the perforating bass put down by Liv Kettle. Now the drumline is a total antithesis, very classic rock/n/roll. Harry Breen takes on the persona of a grounding buddha by producing a converse rhythm. It’s like he is having this eloquent conversation with the rest of the instrumentals. [via Sounds Good]

Nashville-based songwriter Madi Diaz releases her new single/video, 'New Person, Old Place.' Madi recently marked a full restart of her career with the evocative 'Man In Me,' a first offering showing how she’s capable of distilling profound feelings with ease. While 'Man In Me' took Madi through her first steps of a really hard time, 'New Person, Old Place' presents her further down the road, after processing the pain and loss of a breakup. She uses specific diction to describe feelings that are typically hard to verbalize: “I used to stay up on the off chance that you might call me back /  I used to go shopping for pain go through pictures it’s all I had / I’d sift through our memories and live there even when I wasn’t sad /  I used to, I used to, but now I don’t that.” Madi elaborates: “This was a moment I realized I wanted to start to learn how to do it not better, not worse, but just different… and then something shifted. Something in my heart finally knocked loose and I was breathing deeper. It’s hard as hell, breaking patterns and unlearning all the old shit, trying to shut all the doors that I used to open to let all the same hurt happen over and over. I’m at least learning to find new doors. ‘New Person Old Place’ is a mantra. A line that I’m casting into the future so that I have something to guide me forward. It’s something of a reminder that if my heart is the house that I carry with me wherever I go, I can take it somewhere new, or I can do the same old thing I always do but backwards or with a cartwheel, and I can repaint and I can rearrange the furniture. I can clean the mirrors so I see myself true and clear.” The 'New Person, Old Place' video was directed by $ECK and shot in Madi’s pickup truck throughout Nashville. The video follows Madi on a journey to the salvage yard, driving different versions of herself there to face her history.

Following the release of her viral rock cover of Miley Cyrus's 'Midnight Sky', which garnered over 341.5K views, Izzy T is unveiling her explosive new single 'Nuclear.' Featuring UK rap artist Ben Hunter, the almighty alt-rock-pop fireball of energy combines electric, raucous sass in a mix of fearsome beats and muffled, gritty guitar. Screaming enough is enough, the mantra of this song sits on a tidal wave of frustration, narrating the darkside of a relationship and how people can become the furthest thing from who they really are. Izzy shares, “This song has really paved the way for my new sound as an artist. I love big crunchy guitars and stompy beats, and the freedom to go from low and creepy, to high as the clouds with my voice!” With an underlying theme of empowerment in dark times, Izzy provides a voice that we can cling on to, emphasizing that we can do whatever we put our minds to.

[xkaylinh]

Concert Diary: Sasami at the Echo on January 4, 2019

The intro to this post is going to be a bit longer and a bit different. I want to provide a bit of context to explain how I came to look forward to a concert so much without first becoming familiar with much of the artist's music as I usually would. Yeah, so I'd usually just jump into talking about the day of the concert experience. Not this time. My blog, my rules.

The first time I saw, heard, or even heard of Sasami was when I saw her opening for Soccer Mommy. The moment she walked on stage, I thought, Oh cool, another Asian female musician to follow. (Yeah, I know, it's not cool to lump artists together just because of their gender or race. I just get so excited, so shush.) A couple months and a half a dozen shows later, I found myself thinking, I should probably listen to more Sasami, her set was really good. To my dismay, I found that she only had two songs out.

But to my surprise, those two songs were all I needed. The video for “Not the Time” was so wholesome, but what hooked me was the lyrics. They perfectly put into words what I was feeling and going through at this time in my life. I would eventually listen to the song about a hundred times on repeat on Spotify. I didn’t give “Callous” as much attention leading up to the show, but when she introduced the song, she said it was about “the ending of a platonic relationship, which can be just as bad as the ending of a sexual one,” and I thought, That’s totally me right now. It's kind of funny in a way, I think, that “Not the Time”/”Callous” kind of came into my life at just the right time.

Also, ever since Phoebe Bridgers unexpectedly joined Soccer Mommy and Sasami on stage that one time and Sasami posted on Instagram comparing them to the three chipmunks, I’ve been following on Twitter and Instagram many of the artists who I’ve seen live, and Sasami has definitely been one of the most interesting, so I was looking forward to the kind of banter she’d conjure up in between songs. (Yeah, I’m pretty sure that’s a run-on sentence. Shhhh.)

Whew, that took four paragraphs. Okay, here we go, day of the show. I ate at home because I wanted to try not to spend so much money. (Boo, that’s boring.) I found free street parking next to an elementary school a few blocks away from the venue. (Ooh, that’s smart.) This was my second time at the Echo. I walked past 826LA’s Time Travel Mart and was like, Wait, I know this place. But also, get this: not only are the two within walking distance from each other, there’s also a bookstore in between them that I didn’t even know about!

At 7:30, I walked up to the venue and asked if this was the entrance, the one guy said yeah. I asked when doors was for the Sasami show (because there was another thing going on at the Echoplex), the other guy said 8:30. I asked if this was where the line’s supposed to be, the first guy said yeah. I was the first one there. It was cold. So I said, okay, cool, I’ll be back, and then I walked to the bookstore to take a look around.

The bookstore is cramped and tiny. But it has a pretty neat selection of stuff. And a cafe. That also serves… beer? Interesting. I guess that makes sense. Literary people sure like their caffeine and alcohol. I saw a book from one of my former professors and thought, Hey, maybe I should get this. But what about the whole not spending money thing? Ughh. So I just kept browsing, killing time until the show.

At 8:00, I checked and saw that a line started forming at the venue, so I lined up to get in. Surely enough, about a half hour later, we started being let in. It took me a couple seconds to recognize that this was the place I first saw Japanese Breakfast. There are benches lining the walls, a merch table on one side, and a bar at the other. Apparently, there’s also a patio, which I didn’t notice the first time I was here. There were not one, but two disco balls spinning from the ceiling. Looking down at the floor as I walked made me a little dizzy, so I eventually decided to stay put, way up front. A few photographers stood next to me taking pictures throughout the show, which was kind of annoying but also kind of interesting to see them work.

The first act, Rebecca Schiffman, didn’t come up until 9:30, much later than I’d expected (I guess I thought 8:30 was show start, not doors, and so I was in the area a lot earlier than I needed to be). She kind of reminded me of Sidney Gish, that whole youthful-singer-songwriter vibe, but a little more serious in her lyricism and style. She’d sing a song that sounded really deep and thoughtful, then follow up with something like, “That was about a turtle,” or, “That was about a dog,” which was actually quite charming. She had a band that was accompanying her for just this show. I think I’ve seen her bassist perform before with someone else. They were all wearing Doc Martens, because Doc Martens was sponsoring the show. (Each person got a 20% off coupon at the door. Pretty cool way to do advertising, I guess.) At one point, she said, “To everyone who voted no on whether I should buy this jumpsuit, look! it has pockets for my picks.”

I spotted Sasami in the crowd before and during Rebecca’s set. She was in a pretty cool jacket, but she walked on stage without it. I guess you get hot when you’re performing. As expected (because, like, I’ve seen her before), she had a huge attitude and a great energy. The way she said “Hello” into the mic real loud repeatedly was kind of jarring, but mostly funny. She made jokes about dead mom jokes being funny (her mom’s not dead), and about backing out of heckling (apparently a bit that was planned with her friend but not executed as intended). At one point, she said, “I ran out of things to say, so I’ll just repeat things you shout at me,” which she did. At another point, she said something along the lines of, “So yeah, that was a joke about sex. My brother’s here. That’s fine, he has four kids, so he’s had sex at least four times. Ewww. Also my dad’s here. But he’s partially deaf, so he probably didn’t hear it.” Another memorable bit was when she said, “My guitar was out of tune. My Korean side gave that performance a C-. But my white side said, Eh, good job.” She was completely herself and gave zero fucks what people thought of her, which was really endearing in a way.

Her persona in between songs is different than when she’s actually performing, though. She loses herself in her songs: her facial expressions are very, uh, expressive, and during instrumental bits, she’d rock out like crazy, at one point almost kicking down her other guitar. In addition to “Not the Time” and “Callous,” there were a couple other songs I kind of recognized from my first time seeing her. A lot of the lyrics seemed to be about friendships or relationships that didn’t quite make it for one reason or another. She was accompanied by a bassist and a drummer, and brought up another guitarist for the last few songs--and all of them were women, which was super cool.

Slut Island was next, but I was tired and my feet hurt, so I left. Maybe I’ll look them up later; it seemed like a lot of people were there for them.

I went back to the bookstore and bought my professor’s book, and something from Amy Tan that was on their $1 cart outside. So much for not spending money.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BsPTXUihqoZ/