It’s been a busy few months but I have missed writing blogs. I thought I would do a little round up of things on my radar these past couple months. This is gonna be an eclectic bunch, so hold on tight and be ready for some wide leaps from item to item.
Sourced from Wikipedia
Virgin, New LP by Lorde
On June 27th, Lorde’s new album Virgin was released. It is her fourth studio album and, after Solar Power was found to be fairly disappointing to many fans of hers, Virgin has some big expectations placed upon its inexperienced shoulders. I quickly found that my favourite tracks on the album, as I listened to the entirety during a drive and then again with headphones later, were very much not the singles released in the time leading up to the album. The lyrics are, as the album art suggests, quite open and revealing throughout each song. Yet, despite all this clarity, there is still just enough murkiness to keep the artist a mystery.
A song whose theme has captured me is Man of the Year, the second single, where she discusses new beginnings and emerging anew: ego deaths, moving closer to one’s true self, being broken open. Yet, Lorde finds herself wondering who will love this raw and uncensored state of her, describing this change as a rather violent transformation into who she is becoming.
I know Lorde doesn’t describe herself as non-binary at this point in time, but she has hinted at feeling that “[she’s] a woman, except for the days when [she’s] a man,” in statements publicising the album and it also turned out to be a lyric on the album itself on the track “Hammer.” I would imagine Lorde’s experiences vary drastically from mine, as everyone’s do, but I will say that as a trans nonbinary person who has also been going through a somewhat intense transformation that includes many growing pains recently, the lyrics to Man of the Year do hit home for me right now.
My overall feeling about this album is that I don’t find the individual songs particularly gripping as single art pieces, but I do find they come together to create this greater whole that is much more interesting as a vibe rather than as singular tracks for your playlists. It serves its purpose as art, but it won’t be the next song of the Summer and that seems like perhaps what the album intended to do all along.
Another thing this album has prompted for me is a re-listen to Solar Power to see if my feelings on it have changed as someone who found it a bit lacking the first time I listened to it shortly after its release. While it is quite a jump from Melodrama, I do find I have more appreciation for it now, some years later. Parts of the production remind me of the ‘60s psychedelic music, and even the rehashed ‘90s version of that sound. It sounds like what I imagine plays at Jared Leto’s cult compound. I could see Solar Power being fun to listen to on something a bit hallucinogenic, reminiscent of how Lorde has mentioned using MDMA therapy for her stage fright. Just as long as you don’t drink the grape Kool-Aid.
It seems to me Lorde makes her music for those who will understand and, to those who don’t get it, she doesn’t need you anyway; the kind of artist who creates her own world around her and, if you can vibe with it, you’re welcome to stay. But if you can’t be cool, you can just go listen to someone interested in making classic pop singles.
Tracks I recommend from Virgin: Hammer, Shapeshifter, GRWM, If She Could See Me Now.
Sourced from IMDB
Superman (2025), dir. By James Gunn
I’ll admit I found myself staying out of the waves and waves of superhero films that seem to keep coming. Like choosing a place to swim, I grew tired of finding myself stepping on slimy algae, of being disappointed by how cold it was, or of not having enough space to truly stretch my arms. I’m always hoping for those Goldilocks waters, where I can walk without slipping (not missing any info from a previous film), comfortably enter the water (it isn’t too serious or too silly), and have a space to swim satisfying laps (the story is interesting and refreshing).
If I hadn’t been asked along to see Superman, I might have decided to skip it, but the invitation mixed with seeing all the great reception to the story had me excited to see it, and I’m happy to say it does not feel misplaced. I recall being a child and seeing certain films that would fill me with hope; I’d walk out of the theater feeling this lightness in my chest. I hadn’t felt that for a while, but I felt that with James Gunn’s Superman.
This movie is a genuinely fun experience that also makes you feel like you watched something with some substance. There are references to other DC characters and future stories, but they don’t feel shoehorned in to just have a wild cameo that makes the theater go, “Oh my god, it’s Awesome Man!” Instead, characters such as the Justice Gang (I guess it took a while to become a full blown Justice League) serve as a worthwhile morally grey foil to Superman, who is the ultimate lawful good guy.
Where Superman just wants to help people and make sure that no one gets hurt unnecessarily, the Justice Gang’s Green Lantern, Hawk Girl and Mr. Terrific have slightly looser morals and this difference serves as a central theme of the film. The conflict guides Superman’s interactions with every plot in this story, from Lex Luthor’s attempts to take him down, to his interactions with the citizens of Metropolis, his relationship with his Kryptonian parents and his Earth parents, and, of course, his relationship with Lois Lane.
Another aspect which stood out to me was the brave relationship between the movie plot and political stories from recent years, which gave viewers something a bit more filling to consume. For those who haven’t seen it yet, the plot surrounds the invented countries of Boravia and Jarhanpur, stand-ins for an Eastern European power such as Russia and a poorer West Asian country such as Palestine. While not intended to represent any specific real countries, it is a daring choice to include it as, no matter how long it took for the film to be released, these would undoubtedly be avatars for some real life conflict that was occurring.
It was a safe bet, considering the United States has been involved directly or indirectly in some conflict in this area of the world for decades upon decades now. These are generational issues that audience members of all ages have witnessed, so to bring in these issues to give us an idea of how someone who simply wants to do good deeds, such as Superman, would view these complex political concepts was a great way to help the audience understand who Superman is, and who Clark Kent is. The opening scenes alone give us so much in terms of understanding the values and themes this movie is interested in, such as the scene where Lois interviews Superman but must battle around Clark’s self-awareness around this issue.
Overall, this film is a fun time for those who want it, and gives something a bit more for those who are seeking it. My only critique, more Hawk Girl please! Not really a critique, she was just my favourite in the Justice League show.
Sourced from IMDB
K-Pop Demon Hunters (2025), dir. Maggie Kang & Chris Appelhans
It feels like not much needs to be said about K-Pop Demon Hunters. This animated film has really swept up a frenzy of fans hungry for a story about gorgeous k-pop singers who also participate in cool badass activities such as fighting demons. This feels like a pop culture combination just waiting to happen. What’s next? K-Pop Pride & Prejudice? K-Pop Fairy Romance ACOTAR-Style? Labubu dubai chocolate SYBAU? Personally, I’d like to see K-Pop International Super Spies but maybe that’s just me.
I don’t consider myself personally a large k-pop fan in terms of the music, but I’ve heard some songs here and there that have been quite fun to me. Butter by BTS, Cupid by FIFTY-FIFTY, APT. by ROSÉ & Bruno Mars, Sour Candy by Lady Gaga & BLACKPINK, (a lot of all-caps names, aren’t there?) are all super fun bops. Despite not getting into the music much, I have witnessed the fancams and the trending dances and, let’s just say, my inner bisexual really gets it. Much like the days when America was all about their own homegrown boy bands and girl groups (do we still have those in North America or the UK?) such as NSYNC, Backstreet Boys, Destiny’s Child or even the later groups like One Direction, The Pussycat Dolls, or Big Time Rush, some of the appeal usually comes from how appealing or attractive the members are or can be with the right make up and outfits.
The great big k-pop machine understands that very well and seems to choose the candidates with the most potential to appeal to whatever the trending look is to appeal sexually to the widest group possible. Everything is chosen immaculately and these identities are built up with the delicate intricacy of a mixologist designing a $23 cocktail. It will be good, but was it worth me spending $23? The popular k-pop groups also fit in with the larger trend of East Asian pop culture breaking into the Western pop culture sphere, which makes it the perfect time to bank on these ideas being hits. As well as k-pop music broadly being popular, even k-dramas have broken the mainstream following the popularity of Squid Games. I, myself, have become a fan of historical Korean dramas in recent years, so I must say I am not immune to the wave of popular South Korean media either.
I see these themes show up in this film. The main trio girl group of the film, HUNTR/X, are three different but beautiful young women who all look and are powerful; their clothing, hair and make up all give off the aesthetic of three women who are strong and in charge of their identity and, indeed, who do seem strong enough to hunt demons. They are dressed like the heroines of an action film, but still beautiful and ethereal at the same time.
The flipside of that is, of course, the Saja boys, five handsome boys who are, of course, demons. You can already see the enemy-to-lovers theme built into this concept, which adds some fun tension if you plan to include a romance subplot at all. But also, like all k-pop boy bands, they are all attractive in their own different ways. This is a staple of the boy band dynamic: each band member is specifically designed to attract a different kind of girl or gay man. They are well-dressed, have well cared for hair, and likely wear subtle make up. I believe this concept may actually play a large part in the attractiveness of k-pop boy bands to women from the US.
A large part of the beauty standard for American men in particular is seeming like you don’t care about taking care of your skin or hair. This is what American men often use to signal to each other that they are heterosexual and therefore “masculine.”. This is what drew attention to many of the UK boy bands in the early 2010s, so the jump to k-pop was the next logical step for many boy band fanatics and especially for the young female market, who hold higher and higher standards for male attractiveness (as they should.) It’s becoming increasingly obvious that, culturally, the male standards held in the United States and Canada are widely held to signal to other men that a man is straight, not for female attraction.
Standards that would seem “effeminate” to North American men, such as washing one’s hands, face, or hair, or even wearing a bit of concealer, perhaps even dressing up nicely, are often what women prefer largely. Not saying there isn’t a space for a more blue collar-looking, grimy man as there will also always be women who love a country boy, or a lumberjack type (some gay men too), but it has done a lot to truly shed a light on what young women find attractive. Whether it is a modern day standard, or has always been a standard which simply is easier to convey due to the progression of social media, but it is interesting to observe.
Either way, many cultural shifts have occurred to make this the perfect time for K-Pop Demon Hunters to break the mould.
Conclusion
I believe that’s all I have to discuss for now. Hopefully summer hasn’t been too unbearable for everyone.
Kiss kiss, xx
