Pop culture has changed drastically over the years. Many argue that the era of monoculture—when people shared the same cultural experiences, listened to the same songs, watched the same shows, and followed the same celebrities—is behind us. Audiences are now scattered across various playlists, social media platforms, and niche subcultures.[Read More…]
Music
Laufey transforms vulnerability into art at Place Bell
Following a Grammy for her second album, Bewitched, singer-songwriter Laufey’s A Matter of Time tour explores a new side of herself. Suki Waterhouse opened the Montreal tour stop with ethereal vocals, priming the audience for Laufey; both artists delivered outstanding performances at Place Bell on Oct. 21st. From the first[Read More…]
Breaking ground at new creative collective’s defiant art-expo and rave
I was whisked into Concrete Breaks’ Communal Art-Expo and Rave on Oct. 23 by heavy bass thrumming under my feet and a crush of people bottlenecking behind me. Once through the doors, bright projections of cityscapes flashed to my right while a diverse array of prints and poetry lined the[Read More…]
A Virgin sacrifice, live in Montreal
On Pure Heroine’s twelve-year anniversary, Lorde was reborn a Virgin at Montreal’s Bell Centre. After a four-year hiatus since Solar Power, she arrived incomplete and half-made, perpetually becoming—an invitation to get ready with her—for one tender night of confessional pop. Discussing her fourth album, Virgin, Lorde told Apple Music: “Everything[Read More…]
‘This Pretty Agony’: Our shared plight echoed in song
Uncertainty, disappointment, anger, and numbness have become commonplace descriptors for life in the 21st century. Ottawa-based rock band Touch Grass offers a beautiful exploration of these complex emotions in their debut EP, This Pretty Agony. The songs are sung and written by Adam Blasl, who is accompanied by Cameron McGetrick[Read More…]
Pondering how infinity appears in Big Thief’s newest album
On Sept. 5, Big Thief released its new studio album Double Infinity. For many, this album has been a source of confusion, as it is set so apart from much of the band’s work. For starters, the cover is optically exploratory in comparison to their others: It features a bright[Read More…]
VMAs? More like Tate McRae concert
The 2025 MTV Video Music Awards (VMAs) aired on Sept. 7, featuring stunning looks, heartfelt speeches, and star-studded performances. Out of 13 impressive numbers, one stood out from the rest: Tate McRae’s. Her showstopping performance solidified her status as the best dancer in the music industry. Accompanied by a group[Read More…]
Noumoucounda Cissoko’s strings of memory and resistance shine at Nuits d’Afrique
With summer drawing to a close, one festival remains a highlight of the season. For nearly two weeks in July, the streets of Montreal pulsed with the rhythms of distant homelands. From July 8 to 20, the city became the summer’s cultural epicenter, hosting the highly anticipated Festival International Nuits[Read More…]
Rainy OAP performance rinses away pretenses
Despite the cold open that Montreal student band The Longest Year was supposed to deliver as the first act of the day, the audience who crowded around the tented Open Air Pub (OAP) stage on Thursday afternoon had seemingly already warmed. Even more surprisingly, their wet hair was plastered to[Read More…]
What we liked this summer break
The Summer I Turned Pretty Season 3 – Bianca Sugunasiri, Arts and Entertainment Editor This summer brought sun, sea, and the newest season of Jenny Han and Gabrielle Stanton’s show The Summer I Turned Pretty, perhaps more appropriately named ‘The Summer I Made Poor Decisions.’ Season 3 follows Isabel “Belly”[Read More…]
