The Fresh New Faces of Philly Jazz
(10/25/24 12:16am)
Like a shofar cry from the furthest end of the room, breath hits brass. Just one note, guttural, and the crowd falls quiet.
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‘Hit Me Hard and Soft’ Is a Celebration of Fluidity and a Triumph For Billie Eilish
(11/10/24 5:47am)
The night of Saturday, Oct. 5 hit me hard … and soft. As I clambered into my seat amidst a crowd of screaming bisexuals, I wondered vaguely how I could have been enjoying my fall break at home just two hours ago. Somehow, here I was at the Wells Fargo Center … in Philadelphia, again. But I was "Happier Than Ever" to be in my city when Billie Eilish purred into her mic: “Hey, Philly, you seem like you’re feeling pretty good.”
The Sun Rises On SOPHIE, the Album
(10/23/24 4:16am)
SOPHIE had been producing the follow–up to her monumental first LP, Oil of Every Pearl’s Un–Insides, for almost four years before her passing in January 2021. Including the ones she’d chosen for its lineup, the PC Music veteran and hyperpop godmother left behind hundreds of tracks—some considered for a project dubbed “TRANS NATION”, some already unveiled between 2015 D.J. sets and quarantine–era HEAV3N streams, and all lying dormant to be overseen by her brother and long–time mixing engineer, Benny Long.
Xiu Xiu’s Most Recent Release Is Not So Tough a Pill To Swallow
(11/24/24 11:20pm)
In Xiu Xiu’s seventeenth studio album 13″ Frank Beltrame Italian Stiletto with Bison Horn Grips (henceforth Stiletto), Jamie Stewart and Angela Seo sacrifice none of their signature eccentricity. For artists of the avant–garde, navigating the fringes of artistic expression means bracing for critical rejection, facing an audience unsure of whether to recoil or lean in. Like every preceding Xiu Xiu album, Stiletto demands a little speculation. What’s it gonna be this time? For over 20 years, Xui Xui has defied all classification—every record a rebirth of genre and concept, weaving a narrative through the group’s discography. In this history, Stiletto is a chapter of change, inspired by their recent move to Berlin from Los Angeles and a “destruction of previous aesthetic notions,” according to the band. The record was mixed by Grammy award–winning producer John Congleton, who was granted a liberal dictum by the band to “go crazy.” But despite this approval, Stiletto, in the whole of the band’s work, might just be their most approachable project yet.
From JoJo with the Bow–Bow to Bad Girl
(10/28/24 2:28pm)
This July, Jojo Siwa dropped her fourth EP, Guilty Pleasure. Months prior, Siwa defined this highly anticipated album as personal rebranding: a transition from her formerly charismatic Nickelodeon persona to a provocative, grunge influencer. RIP to the 2017 Jojo and her bows, neon jackets, and anti–bullying anthems. The two music videos accompanying Guilty Pleasure—for singles “Karma” and “Guilty Pleasure”—illustrate this artist’s reinvention of her image: Siwa now centralizes her choreography, costuming, and lyrics around her love and lust as a mature adult.
What’s Wrong with What’s Wrong with New York?
(10/13/24 4:00am)
It feels like The Dare’s song "Girls" is all around us. It’s become the (supposedly) sex positive anthem for the girls themselves, the backtrack of Instagram stories or self–referential thirst traps. It’s the talk of the effervescent “Indie Sleaze revival” we’re still waiting on, with everyone seeming to have a take on the return of a raunchy, sin–addled party scene for hipsters and the song as its poster child. Hell, we even used the song at a Street meeting as an icebreaker, Buzzfeed style–what type of girl are you?
What LE SSERAFIM’s Coachella Backlash tells us about the K–Pop Industry
(10/21/24 4:00am)
“LE SSERAFIM - SATURDAYS, COACHELLA.” In the billboard announcing their upcoming set at the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival, the members of the K–Pop girl group LE SSERAFIM are positively aglow: hair swept, gazes confident, skin sculpted. The day before their set, frontwoman Yunjin posts a photo of the group on Instagram posing with the announcement, Hilary Duff's “What Dreams Are Made Of” playing in the background. It is the youngest K–Pop group to clinch a set at the lauded Indio, Calif. music festival a mere two years after its debut; the members are excited, ready to mark a significant milestone in their artistic career.
Loossemble, Tzuyu, QWER, and More: September K–Pop Roundup
(10/02/24 4:28pm)
September’s been a strange month for the world of K–pop, marked by bleak AI endeavors, unprecedented label controversies, and genre veterans coming back into the fold. In terms of actual releases, though, not many huge splashes were made, with a litany of disappointing comebacks and a few outstanding ones. In this quick roundup, I’ll be going over some of the best and the worst that Korean pop had to offer in September.
Ticketmaster Killed the Radio Star
(12/05/24 3:13am)
“The public brought all this on itself … I have no sympathy for people whining about high ticket prices … They helped create this situation where artists have to make all their money on tour. Artists and the market set the prices, and you can't pay a Motel 6 price and stay at the Four Seasons." —Fred Rosen, former Ticketmaster CEO
The Roots of Questlove Run Deep in Philadelphia
(11/01/24 2:39pm)
Sept. 21 is a very special day for fans of the popular 70s pop/funk band Earth, Wind & Fire. The group’s highest charting song, “September”, has had listeners in a chokehold since it was first released in 1978. As the shakers and bass come to a close, the intro’s orchestration gives way to some groovy wind instrumentation leading to the high point of the song. Piano and funky electric guitar accompany lead vocalist Maurice White as he asks the fateful question: “Do you remember / The 21st night of September?” Sept. 21 has since been dubbed “Earth, Wind & Fire Day" by both casual and die–hard fans.
Street Takes on SWEAT Tour
(09/30/24 5:21am)
At exactly 8:30 p.m., the lights go off at the Wells Fargo Center. After a summer of waiting and anticipation, the night has arrived. Troye Sivan takes the stage, joined soon after by Charli xcx. It's the spectacle of a lifetime. For those of us here at Street who survived the concert and can parse through our memories of the evening, we offer up all of our reflections, ruminations, and reviews of the night.
INJI’s latest EP does nothing but make us feel GOOD
(09/27/24 4:00am)
The Wharton student to world–tour artist pipeline may not be large, but for recent Penn Alum Inci Gürün (W ‘23), better known under her stage name “INJI,” following her passion is paying off.
Shove It: Is Concert Etiquette at a New Low?
(09/27/24 4:00am)
On Sept. 11, crowds swarmed to the SummerStage in Central Park to watch beabadoobee perform her “This Is How Tomorrow Moves” tour. Fans entered the pit area expecting a night they would never remember, eagerly waiting to sing along to “Death Bed (coffee for your head)” and “the perfect pair.” Fans also bridled with excitement to hear tracks from her headlining album This Is How Tomorrow Moves, an indie rock/pop project featuring co–founder of Def Jam Records and Grammy–award winning producer Rick Rubin. As fans began to settle in and beabadoobee hit the stage, however, the atmosphere quickly became negative.
Streams, Screens, and the 15–Second Earworm
(09/25/24 4:00am)
If there’s one casualty of the digital age that millennials will never let us forget, it’s Blockbuster.
If AI Generated a Katy Perry Album, It Would Be ‘143’
(09/25/24 4:00am)
If you’re reading this article right now, there’s a good chance that you already know the controversial summer Katy Perry has experienced. Prior to 143’s release, Perry had just ended a four–year hiatus following 2020’s Smile, which attempted to rehabilitate her image after 2017’s controversial Witness. Despite receiving a lukewarm critical reception, Smile was a fan–favorite project that saw continuous interest since its release, with “Never Really Over” and “Harleys In Hawaii” reaching TikTok virality. That success, combined with X’s fond reminiscing over Perry’s imperial pop hits from Teenage Dream and PRISM, slowly but steadily built hype surrounding her anticipated comeback.
Porter Robinson’s SMILE! :D Tour is an Electric Exercise in Nostalgia
(09/23/24 4:57am)
Before ASCII snowflakes cascade down the screen behind him, Porter Robinson asks his audience a few questions in Helvetica. “Do you remember skinning your knee? Do you remember being bored in the summer? Do you remember the last time your mom held you?”
Short n’ Sweet is a Branding Success for Sabrina
(09/16/24 5:51am)
Five–foot juggernaut Sabrina Carpenter is pop music’s new It Girl. The beachy rhythms “Espresso” and the glittering synths of “Please Please Please” were the sounds of 2024’s summer, and both grabbed the top spot on the Billboard Hot 100. Their music videos have been successes in an age where videos seem less relevant than ever before—“Espresso” is summer fun given visual form, and “Please Please Please” features Barry Keoghan, who gives a fresh spin on the classic story of the bad boy in love. Replete with pieces of Ariana Grande’s sound, and sporting Taylor Swift’s seal of approval, Carpenter's new album Short n' Sweet delivers all the energy of her summer singles and then some.
Manning Fireworks is in the Canon of Indie Poetry
(09/13/24 4:00am)
In another life, MJ Lenderman is no more than an unnamed guitarist backing Karly Hartzman in Wednesday, the Asheville grunge group of which Lenderman remains a member. There would be worse fates; Wednesday’s critical acclaim and crossover appeal among fans of indie rock, punk, and alternative country have given them a devoted, if not massive, following.
Can you spell K–I–S–S–I–S–S–I–P–P–I?
(09/06/24 4:00am)
Zoe Allaire Reynolds, known on stage and Spotify as Kississippi, is the exemplification of the Philly music scene: house–show roots, run–ins with shitty guys, and, of course, a collaboration with Jake Ewald of Slaughter Beach, Dog here and there.
Bumpin' That At The Frat Boiler Room
(08/31/24 1:46am)
The beauty of boiler rooms exists in spite of the insipid, and frankly, disgusting conditions of the space itself. The beauty of Boiler Room, is that really, it can be created anywhere, can't it? It's a dingy, industrial space that defies all science—heat doesn't rise, but wraps like a damp blanket around you—and social conventions, where the DJ is within our eyeline, and frenetic, atmospheric beats aren't just something you hear, but also feel.
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