Emily Mahin “Em” Beihold is an American singer-songwriter most known for her 2022 viral single “Numb Little Bug”. Her new debut album “Tales of a Failed Shapeshifter” released on February 27th and is available to stream anywhere. A few weeks before the release, I got the opportunity to join a press conference with 1824° to talk with Em about the album and hear a sneak peak of a few songs. 

Throughout Em’s music career, and especially through this project, a motif of mystical and magical creatures can be found. Em shared that she seems to have a “knee jerk reaction to writing songs about creatures.” Along with creatures, she has a pattern of writing songs about historical figures evidenced by two songs on the album titled “Van Gogh” and “Brutus”. 

As the first released single, “Brutus” was the song that got Em out of her writer’s block. After her initial success off her first EP in 2022, Em went into hiding. She was struggling with her mental health and struggling to find her identity and vision as an artist. Em shared that this album is about her journey with depression and reaching a new low. It’s a conversation with herself. After her absence in the industry and a break with her relationship with music as a whole, she now feels unafraid to express herself. She wanted her songwriting to be blunt and she hopes the listeners can hear that. This album will be “singer-songwriter” with more emotional themes than the last project she released. 

Em said she draws inspiration from singer-songwriter female artists like Fiona Apple, Sara Barellias, and Lily Allen. She wants to bring that sound back. In Em’s words, “I know bouncy piano music isn’t cool and I don’t care.” Em knows herself and doesn’t question anymore.

We also got to hear her new song “Unicorn” which is about yearning for your past partner even though your loved ones say you’re better off without them. It’s about her “ghost” of co-dependency telling her to not trust her intuition while in a relationship that’s not right for her. These songs are much more vulnerable than her songs in the past. Em shared that at her piano she tends to get extra vulnerable, “everything is gone. I have no filter. ”

Now Em is off to her 2026 tour hitting the road in May/June to play Tales of a Failed Shapeshifter live. Catch her at a city near you! 

Overall, Em finally feels like she’s making the music she wants to make. She had to take time away to figure out who she is personally and who Em is as an artist. It wasn’t an easy journey though, and she had to say a lot of “no’s” to get to where she is.

Upon walking in, it was clear that El Vaquero could be so much more than a place for students to gather to throw back margarita towers and eat delicious food. The tables along the back wall of the restaurant had been rearranged to make room for drum kits, speakers, mic stands, and pedalboards. The usually warm yellow lighting in the restaurant had been dimmed, and soft green and purple lighting filled the space. 

Shortly after 7 p.m., Limelight took the stage, or rather, their spot at the back of the restaurant. Though their set was short, roughly 40 mins, they delivered a killer performance full of raw emotion, melodic tunes and even a few jokes from frontwoman Ellie Light. It was energetic and loud, perfect for this kind of live show. 

After Limelight came Juno Harlot who, despite only having made their public debut less than a month before the show, commanded the room like they’d been performing together their entire lives. 

The energy in the restaurant was electric the entire night. Each seat was full and people continued to trickle in, lining up along the walls to enjoy the performance between baskets of chips and salsa and trips to the bar. In between songs, El Vaquero was filled with lively conversation and anticipation for what came next. 

Event coordinator Laney Walden says this was the goal of Taco Tuesday, to bring live events back to Bearcast Media and to foster community amongst UC students and other Clifton residents. 

If live music and a good time aren’t enough of an incentive to get you at the next one, El Vaquero offers $3 tacos, $2 Millers and coolers, and $1 lemon drops at every Taco Tuesday event. El Vaquero also offers $6.99 jumbo margaritas every Monday if you can’t make it out on a Tuesday. 

Keep an eye out for the next show on Instagram (@bearcastmedia or @music4uc). You won’t want to miss it.

After debuting in 2020, indie-pop, singer-songwriter extraordinaire, Sarah Kinsley has released her fifth EP titled “Fleeting” and welcomes listeners into a new realm full of desire, passion, and yearning. This release quickly became one of my most anticipated of the year due to the incredible lead singles “Fleeting” and “Lonely Touch.” Just this past month, I was lucky enough to attend a press conference with Kinsley where she painted a picture of what it was like to create this new world and reach new levels of vulnerability through her lyrics. I believe it is evident that everything Kinsely set out to do on this project was executed flawlessly as “Fleeting,” even though only five songs, is a beautiful display of passion and emotion.

The EP opens with one of the two singles, “Lonely Touch,” which is easily one of the best songs released this year so far. The track starts with some very unique synths which end up developing into an incredible release of emotion toward the closing minutes. Kinsley revealed this is her favorite song off the EP. She was struck with inspiration to write the song after watching Luca Guadagnio’s film, “Queer,” as her lyrics display the desire to know someone deeply despite never talking to them in the first place. As I mentioned, the production is very eventful and jam-packed with sound. Kinsley added to this point saying that she wanted this song to be drowned in the production and that it felt like an amazing representation of what she is saying in the song.

The next song, “Truth of Pursuit,” contains production elements that echo those of Lorde’s debut album, “Pure Heroine.” When asked about some of her musical inspiration for the EP, Kinsley responded with synth-pop and new wave legends like The Blue Nile and New Order. Kinsley talked about her songwriting approach with this new batch of songs and how it differed from previous releases. These songs are more vulnerable due to her singing about things how they really are, rather than leaving room for ambiguity. This track contains Kinsley’s favorite lyric on the entire EP which is “I can’t deny something between us changed, I felt the sea and now I’m standing in the drain.” In the early days of her career, Kinsley found a lot of beauty within writing in metaphors and double meanings, however, for “Fleeting,” she wanted listeners to know exactly what she was feeling and in return, Kinsley was able to feel a new sense of power and liberation. 

Track three, “Reverie,”  slows things down as we listen to Kinsley sit down at the piano before drums kick in around the bridge. Kinsley spoke about her musical upbringing during the conference, stating that she began in classical music and that even with its beauty, it can be intense and does not leave much room for creativity. However, Kinsley explained how comfortable she feels at the piano and that it brings her back to a “child-like state,” where she is able to experience new sounds and ideas with a sense of susceptibility.

Coming next within the tracklist is a song called “After All” which features singer-songwriter, Paris Paloma. As the only collaboration on the EP, it works fantastically. It is another track which finds Kinsley at the piano and both her and Paloma’s voices blend magically together. Kinsley described the process of collaborating with Paloma as pleasant and easy, and how interesting it was to hear her lyrics sung by another artist. 

Finally, the fifth song “Fleeting,” served as the lead single, and is a powerful and cinematic conclusion to the project. I loved this song as a single and I love it even more as the closer. It truly feels like the thesis piece for the EP. Kinsley revealed that she is constantly feeling the fear of time passing quicker as you get older and that she frequently finds herself writing about it in her music. “Fleeting” does exactly that, however not without coming with a twist. While being scared of the passage of time, Kinsley wants listeners to “let the future reveal itself to you” as well as allowing yourself to delve into other worlds and realms of possibility, as the closing lines of the EP are repeated twice for good measure: “It’s not forever, it’s just for now.”

All in all, “Fleeting” by Sarah Kinsley is an incredible addition to an already stunning and underrated pop catalog. Being able to sit and listen to Kinsley explain how she writes her music and the various feelings that evoke inspiration for her was beautiful to hear. I can vouch to say that any music listener is bound to find something worthwhile within “Fleeting” and be able to embrace the beauty of impermanence.   

The release of “Across The Raccoon Strait,” will only mark Meels’ second career release and will act as a follow-up to 2024’s, “Tales from a Bird’s Bedroom,” which saw Meels in a more indie-folk state. However, less than two years later, Meels is ready to define a new genre for herself. Meels revealed that her music is currently in a state of “Critter Country.” She went on to explain her desire for using animals as metaphors to tell her story. Meels said she feels most creative in her hometown of Mill Valley, California. Sitting by the redwood trees and playing in the creeks near her home gave her the desire to go more Americana and classic for this release.

Meels opened up more about her songwriting process and said she strives to be the most candid when she is writing music. For the new EP, Meels revealed she wrote most of the music in her New York City apartment with the thought of moving back to California fueling her pen. When asked about her favorite lyric from the upcoming EP, she said “I’d be doing jail time if it’s a crime to be small and alive.” That is a lyric from her latest single “Vultures” a twangy and punchy piece of bluegrass. Meels goes on to explain the importance of trusting herself within her songwriting, saying that the songs she ends up choosing to release are the ones that take 30 minutes to complete. On another single from the EP titled, “The Wizard” Meels gets candid about her struggle with OCD, and says that it was essential for that song to be on the record so she can provide a song that others can have the chance to relate to. Alongside “The Wizard”, Meels said her favorite of the new EP is the closer “Marsha June,” which is dedicated to her grandmother. 

As I mentioned, this new EP marks a new sense of authenticity for Meels. She explained that she was still finding her sound with “Tales from a Bird’s Bedroom,” but “Across The Raccoon Strait” feels like the music she has always wanted to make. Taking influences from folk giants like Bob Dylan, Joan Baez, Paul McCartney, and of course, Dolly Parton, Meels is ready for fans to hear her new sound. She is most excited for audiences to hear the next single, “Out West,” which she describes as the song that acts most like a title track, and she is most excited to perform “Vultures.” 

Looking forward, Meels is filled with excitement. Whether it be releasing new music or performing her first headline shows in Nashville and Brooklyn, Meels is going into the new year with big plans and aspirations. Make sure to check out Meels’ new EP, “Across The Raccoon Strait” releasing at the end of the month and look out for her on the road this spring!

In recent years, there have been startling advancements in artificial intelligence (AI). It seems to have found its way into every facet of our lives, from customer service hotlines to social media to classrooms. While AI has made some positive changes, as we continue to discover more about the long term effects of AI usage, some are beginning to believe the negatives may far outweigh the positives. 

A 2025 poll from the Pew Research Center suggests Americans are wary of the effect generative AI will have on daily life. According to the poll, 53% of Americans believe AI will worsen people’s abilities to think creatively, whereas 16% of Americans believe it will improve those abilities. 

These concerns seemed to be reaffirmed by MIT researchers. 

According to a 2025 study conducted by MIT, the use of generative AI may cause a decline in cognitive activity and critical thinking abilities. The study took 54 individuals aged 18-39 and assigned them to groups: Large-language model (LLM), search engine, or brain-only. Over a period of four months, participants were asked to write four SAT-style essays with their assigned method of creation. 

In the first three sessions, all 54 members participated and they completed each essay using the same tool. During the final session, though, only 18 participated. Those initially assigned to the LLM group, which used ChatGPT to complete their essays, were now asked to complete an essay with no outside resources and those initially assigned to the brain-only group were asked to use an LLM. 

Researchers used electroencephalography (EEG) to measure brain activity to assess cognitive engagement and cognitive load. 

Of the four groups, MIT researchers found those in the LLM-to-brain group showed “weaker neural connectivity” than members of the other groups and had difficulty recalling what was in their essays, as well as a decreased ability to think critically or retain knowledge. 

The results of this study raise concerns for students, especially those who have become reliant on LLMs like ChatGPT and other forms of generative AI to complete academic assignments. 

When OpenAI released ChatGPT in 2022, educators became overwhelmed as students quickly outpaced them in their knowledge of this new technology. This new resource made cheating easier and more inconspicuous than it had ever been before and educators struggled to uphold standards for academic integrity. 

“It feels like it’s my first year again,” says Sam Stephenson, an English teacher at Walnut Hills High School (WHHS) who began teaching in 2016. Throughout her tenure, Stephenson has taught grades seven through nine. 

Stephenson recalls the “AI problem” beginning in her classroom in 2023, less than a year after ChatGPT’s public release. She began to notice inconsistencies in students’ writing styles, vocabulary that was not consistent with the student’s grade level, and submissions that deterred from the expectations outlined in the assignment’s rubric. 

No matter their experience, educators seem to agree that generative AI technology isn’t going anywhere and, no matter their personal feelings, they can’t ignore the effects it’s having on their classrooms. 

Some teachers remain steadfast in maintaining a strict no-AI policy in their classroom, restructuring their classes and assignments to make them less “AI-able.” Others have pivoted to teaching their students about AI literacy, ethical use and prompting. Some have taken a hybrid approach, restructuring their assignments to focus on elements that cannot be completed by AI while also teaching students how to responsibly use generative AI in their classrooms. 

Margo Fisher-Bellman, a librarian at WHHS, has championed the efforts to teach WHHS students how to use generative AI, teaching classes about ethical use and efficient prompting to juniors and seniors. 

“I decided to invest in it as much as I possibly could in terms of my learning because I knew my students would outpace me very quickly in my understanding,” Fisher-Bellman said. Since 2022, Fisher-Bellman has attended AI symposiums, training seminars, and has aided in developing both a school-wide AI policy for WHHS and a district-wide AI policy for Cincinnati Public Schools. 

Fisher-Bellman teaches ethical use with focuses on digital citizenship, media literacy, and critical thinking. She takes the time to bring attention to AI hallucinations and the biases it has. “LLMs were trained on our culture. We know our culture has flaws. LLMs have been trained on those flaws, which could lead to bias or stereotypes,” she says. 

Fisher-Bellman emphasizes the idea that generative AI is a tool to enrich a student’s work, not an architect to be used to complete assignments as quickly as possible. “Ethical use stops when the AI begins leading the work– You must lead the work,” reads a worksheet she gave to a class of AP Language and Composition students. 

Educators have had to get creative in their attempts to navigate generative AI and force their students to engage critically with the curriculum. Fisher-Bellman has worked collaboratively with teachers to find ways to create assignments that are not as easily completed with generative AI. 

“The best practices push it as close to the human reflection as possible because LLMs don’t write reflectively as well as they do analytically,” Fisher-Bellman says, “It becomes less about the research paper itself and more about the reflection about the experience or connections about [the student’s] history with research.” 

Under Fisher-Bellman’s guidance, Stephenson has begun assigning multimedia projects like collages or playlists inspired by source material in place of book reports or research papers in some cases. Stephenson has also asked students to draw comparisons between the source material and their personal lives as a way to curb generative AI usage. 

At the university level, educators face similar challenges.

“With some assignments, I’ve had to get rid of or change them because they don’t really work in this new environment where I can’t trust that what I sent home is being produced on their own,” says Dr. Alfred Cotton, a 15-year journalism professor and Director of Undergraduate Studies at the University of Cincinnati (UC). 

Cotton shares that he has gone back to having students complete assignments on pencil and paper without access to computers or phones to ensure the work students are completing is authentic. Educators at the high school level also report returning to pencil and paper for in-class assignments to combat AI usage. 

Other solutions brought forth by college educators mirror the efforts of Fisher-Bellman and her colleagues at WHHS. 

Dr. Victoria LaPoe, head of UC’s journalism department and journalism professor, embraces generative AI technology in her classroom. She, like Fisher-Bellman, teaches her students ethical use and prompting and emphasizes the use of ChatGPT as a tool for research gathering rather than using it to complete entire assignments. 

LaPoe focuses on building AI literacy among her students, encouraging them to engage critically with responses from ChatGPT by asking for and verifying its sources, asking follow-up questions, and comparing its response to information from experts. 

Along with teaching AI literacy, educators believe transparency about AI usage between students and teachers is imperative in maintaining a level of academic integrity. Educators at both levels feel they can’t properly do their jobs without being given authentic work completed with the tools they have allowed in their classrooms, and teachers being transparent about their AI usage may encourage students to do the same. 

Whether generative AI will be a net negative or a net positive for students, educators don’t know. However, the technology has permeated nearly every aspect of education at both the high school and college levels. As such, it is imperative that educators learn how to adapt in the ways they see fit so as to not hinder their students’ progress.

Recently, Universal Music Group’s culture marketing team °1824 hosted the new K-pop girl group AtHeart to discuss their debut Plot Twist and outline plans for the group going forward.

One of the major emphases the girls discussed during the press conference was the background of AtHeart as a group. When asked about their inspirations and goals, they responded that one of their aims is to bring together a “traditional K-pop sound” with their “fresh… newbie energy.” This combination is exemplified in the group’s implementation of Plot Twist as a concept which was meant to “apply a variety of emotions and stories.” The execution of this idea can be seen in the range of genres in their music and the cross-section of cute and eerie that is showcased in their visuals such as the music video for “Plot Twist.”

The Plot Twist EP includes a total of five tracks, including “Good Girl (AtHeart)” which was the group’s debut digital single. The title track, “Plot Twist,” is an addictive dance-pop song that features dubstep-like wubs accompanied by bouncy synths, recalling other great 5th generation K-pop songs while still carving a unique lane for the group. A Plot Twist (Remixes) EP has also been released which the group hopes will allow fans to find a version of the title track that they love the most.

Things are picking up quickly for AtHeart as they just performed in the United States for the first time on November 1 at the AtHeart Experience. Regarding the event, the group said that they were extremely grateful to not only please their fans but also that the performance made them “want to work so much harder.”

Going forward, AtHeart wants to continue to push themselves to try a variety of concepts; they stated that they “want to attempt such a variety of concepts” and that they are “not scared [and] are looking forward to attempting a lot of newer concepts.” If the quality of Plot Twist’s visuals and songs are anything to go by for future comebacks, K-pop fans will absolutely be in for a treat.

You can stream Plot Twist and Plot Twist (Remixes) now on all streaming platforms.

This album might be one of the boldest sounds Parker has gone for in his discography. And it almost fully confused the entire Tame Impala fanbase. If you go into this album expecting the classic psych pop that Parker revolutionized 10 years ago, you may need to keep looking. This is not a bad thing though. Parker still showcases his incredible melodic ability to capture your attention throughout multiple genres. Stretching from deep house, rave, techno grooves on “Not My World”, to the 80’s esque pop ballad chords on “Piece Of Heavan”, and even to Latin inspired drums on “Oblivion”.  This record feels like if John Lennon did a “Thriller” tribute album and then sent it to local DJs to release remixes of. It’s all over the place, which led to most of the criticism of this being Parker’s weakest work.

I really like this album as a whole. I think it’s super catchy and I always love seeing artists trying something completely new, not knowing if it’ll work or not. But it just doesn’t hit nearly as hard as Parker’s other projects. It has its highs, like the super groovy “Afterthought” and “Dracula”. But also, its fair share of lows as well, like the anticlimactic melody in “See You On Monday” and “End Of Summer” which just feels drawn out and lazy, 2 phrases I’d never use to describe any other Tame Impala album.

I’d give this a 3.5 / 5. I do find it repetitive and incomplete at some points, but also super catchy and exciting at others. P.S. the DEADBEAT tour show in Chicago was insane and it changed my life.

By: Elliot Stenken

On November 1, 2022, Taylor Swift announced The Eras Tour, setting off possibly one of the biggest butterfly effects in all of music and pop culture history. 

To put the seismic tour into perspective, from the day that the tour was announced to the day it ended, Swift announced her breakup with actor Joe Alwyn, discreetly dated The 1975’s front man Matty Healy, broke up with Matty Healy, and released two album re-records (Speak Now (Taylor’s Version) and 1989 (Taylor’s Version)) plus a 30-track double album (The Tortured Poets Department + The Anthology). But that’s not all. She also smashed numerous streaming and chart records, won a Grammy for Midnights, had the highest grossing tour of all time with a total of over $2 billion dollars in sales, started dating and got engaged to football star and University of Cincinnati alum Travis Kelce, and bought back her entire discography’s master recordings. 

It’s almost impossible to imagine an artist having this many accomplishments in their entire career, let alone in the couple of years that Swift did them. Pop culture commentators began comparing the Taylor Swift craze to Beatlemania and genuine discussions cropped up debating whether Swift had reached a level of fame only previously graced by Michael Jackson. Needless to say, the end of The Eras Tour felt monumental, leaving fans and haters alike wondering, “What comes next?”

On August 13, this question was answered. Swift announced on the Kelce Brother’s New Heights podcast that she would be releasing her twelfth studio album, The Life of a Showgirl, on October 3. She billed the album as a return to form for Pop Taylor, trimming the fat of The Tortured Poets Department and the deluxe versions of Midnights while reuniting with legendary pop producers Max Martin and Shellback. These two promises excited me as a massive fan of albums such as Red, 1989, and reputation—all past products of the collaborative trio. What intrigued me most, however, were the album’s themes which Swift described as exploring the life behind the curtain of The Eras Tour. 

Many pop stars have explored the trials and tribulations of pop stardom, but not many have been able to speak from the standpoint of having just performed the highest ever grossing tour for two years of their lives. Besides being able to provide a one-of-a-kind insight, the concept seemed like it would give Swift plenty of material to dive into.

On October 3, the curtains were drawn, and The Life of a Showgirl was released to the world. After weeks of mulling over Showgirl, I have concluded that the album fails to fully deliver on any of the expectations—whether it be sonic, lyrical, or aesthetic—that Swift herself set.

That realization didn’t hit for me immediately, however, because the album starts with a series of red herrings. 

“The Fate of Ophelia,” the opener, is a great dance-pop number that, while not one of Swift’s most showstopping opening tracks (“the 1,” “State of Grace,” and “Fearless” can’t be touched), establishes a promising direction for the rest of Showgirl. Swift sings about her lover, Travis Kelce, saving her from all of her tumultuous past relationships and, by extension, the fate of Ophelia. The relationship dynamic is somewhat unexpected for a Taylor Swift song. Many similar songs in Swift’s discography have her taking a dominant or powerful stance in a relationship, yet here she is being saved by a man’s love. The perspective feels refreshing after the dejecting heartbreak of Tortured Poets. The allusion to Hamlet is a bit loose, but the lyrics are fun and carefree, something that works well for an “I am in love!” track. 

“Elizabeth Taylor” is another banger, this time calling back to reputation with bombastic drums and dramatic piano flourishes during the chorus. The track truly screams “Showgirl!!!”. Swift discusses the effects of fame, emphasizes the importance of having a lover to lean on in the face of public scrutiny, and generally just brags about how she is still killing it in the industry. The song’s hook is the best on the album; “I’d cry my eyes violet/Elizabeth Taylor” has been stuck in my head for weeks. 

The promising opening act delivers one more good song in “Opalite,” a pop rock/soft rock number on which Swift is as bubbly as can be, clearly head over heels in love. Swift’s effervescent and undeniably charming delivery add a sparkle to the lyrics which prevent the song’s themes from feeling like a retread of those found on “Ophelia”.

After “Opalite,” the stage that Swift sets with the first three songs begins to fall apart. 

Take “Ruin The Friendship,” for example, which is a breezy guitar ballad that sounds like it was ripped straight from Speak Now or Fearless. Swift’s voice is strikingly youthful and vibrant, and the story about her regret of not making a move on a childhood friend is endearing and impactful. The reveal at the end that the friend passed way stopped me in my tracks on my first listen. However, as good as the song is, it feels distractingly out of place on the track list. The events told on the track are not recent and were already material for a vault track on Red (Taylor’s Version). Obviously, Swift is free to retell this story as many times as she wants but, as a listener, I’m left wondering, “What does this have to do with being a showgirl?”

The feeling of lacking vital context continues into “Father Figure” and “Actually Romantic”. 

“Father Figure” paints Swift as a mastermind industry figure, able to bolster or crumble pop star careers with a wave of her hand. It’s a bit shocking that she even broached this topic to begin with; this kind of power is a quiet part of stardom that is rarely said out loud. The exploration of this idea doesn’t come across fully realized, however, because it’s not clear who Swift is actually talking about in the song. Many Swiftie sleuths have decided that the lyrics are about Scott Borchetta, the CEO of Big Machine Records that Swift was once signed to. Swift’s animosity towards her old label and bosses has been part of her public-facing persona for ages at this point and, although “Father Figure” brings a new perspective to the conversation through the discussion of power dynamics, the subject matter is starting to become a bit tired. Overall, without more specifics, I would rather listen to a related song like “my tears ricochet” instead.

Next, “Actually Romantic” is a blatant Charli xcx diss track and a direct response to Charli’s “Sympathy is a knife”. The idea of a petty, Swiftian diss would be exciting if it justified its existence. The issue with the diss is that “Sympathy is a knife” was never a jab at Taylor Swift. Instead, it was Charli’s attempt at assessing her own sense of self-worth as an artist and a person while being forced into the same physical space and public discourse as the monstrously successful Taylor Swift. On “Actually Romantic,” Swift takes that as a personal attack and plays the childish “You must be in love with me!” card instead of “getting” Charli for anything. Swifties have tried to make the point that, maybe, Swift is getting back at Charli for things that happened behind the scenes. But… why? Why wouldn’t that important context be written into the song? Without it, the diss feels like a low—and unwarranted—blow at Charli.

The songwriting is spotty on those two songs, sure, but I haven’t even begun to touch on the worst of it. 

One of the most obvious examples of bad songwriting is the fifth track “Eldest Daughter”. According to Swiftian lore, a Track 5 is supposed to be the emotional centerpiece/peak of a Taylor Swift album. The somber piano ballad production suggests that the song is Track 5, but lines such as “Every joke’s just trolling and memes,” “I’m not a bad bitch/And this isn’t savage,” and “So we all dressed up as wolves and we looked fire” miss Swift’s songwriting quality mark so egregiously that it’s impossible to take any of it seriously. 

“Wood,” which tries to do the Sabrina Carpenter sexual-innuendo-and-a-wink thing, is even worse. It’s a shame that one of the most interesting and danceable instrumentals on the album is used to allude to Travis Kelce’s… wood… in the least graceful way possible. Also, someone needs to get fired for letting her write, record, and ship the word “d*ckmatize” as part of the lyrics.

Just when I thought the lyrics couldn’t get any worse, “CANCELLED!” sucker punched me across the face with millennial cringe. First of all, Taylor Swift is one of the biggest and richest celebrities of all time. Unless she does something truly heinous, truly commits a crime against humanity, she will NEVER be cancelled. That fact alone makes the whole topic completely ridiculous. However, the idea of Swift having an “underworld” of cancelled friends (who is she even friends with that is “cancelled”?) doesn’t bode well for me, especially in a political and social climate in which accountability seems to be at an all-time low. I must give credit where credit is due, though. “Did you girl-boss too close to the sun?” is one of my favorite song lyrics of the entire year because it’s sung without an ounce of irony. But, in the end, I would really prefer not to hear someone as extremely powerful as Taylor Swift sing about how they’re uncancellable.

I also don’t want to hear about Swift’s dream suburban life with Travis Kelce on “Wi$h Li$t”. The greatest aspect of Taylor Swift’s songwriting is how well it can turn a universal or even unrelatable event into something that feels personal and tailored (no pun intended). Here, that element of her songwriting is noticeably missing. Instead, pointed references to designer brands, Oscars, and Real Madrid fill the lyrics. Even though the point is that Swift would prefer the simple life of “…a driveway/With a basketball hoop,” the overall picture is still muddled by a bunch of random Hollywood nonsense. 

“Honey” also feels needlessly specific. There are a lot of situations in which I can imagine Taylor Swift being called “honey” or “sweetheart” in a demeaning way, but I’m not sold that a bar or restaurant bathroom is one of them. I like the idea of examining how relationship pet names are often weaponized against women, but the scenarios Swift presents come off as contrived.

While neither song is as bad lyrically as something like “CANCELLED!”, they unfortunately don’t stand out much instrumentally either. Boring, muted drums and a grating synth loop plague “Wi$h Li$t” and the hi-hats on “Honey” sound almost laughably cheap.

The album wraps up with “The Life of a Showgirl,” the title track featuring none other than Swift’s protégé, Sabrina Carpenter. The lyrics are clunky (Swift uses the word “legitly”?) but the pair’s theatrical, exaggerated delivery somewhat makes up for it. The production is, like most other songs on the album, nothing to write home about (although it does sound very, very similar to a Jonas Brothers song). However, the buildup of the strings and claps closes out the album in a satisfying way.

Overall, The Life of a Showgirl left me with a LOT of questions. Where are the Max Martin synth-laden bangers? Where is the songwriting that is on par with folklore? Where is Swift’s self-awareness that she is in the position of one of the richest and most successful music artists in history? Where is Showgirl on 90-percent of the album? 

When the general public picked apart Midnights and Tortured Poets, fans tried to come to Swift’s defense, pointing to Jack Antonoff’s production wearing thin or claiming that the albums were “for the fans!” However, Showgirl has Max Martin producing and is extremely focused at only 12 tracks… but the result is still bad. By process of elimination, Taylor Swift is the only person left standing to blame. The album was made entirely between Eras Tour stops, and it’s not hard to tell; the whole project feels extremely rushed. And, if Swift has worked with an assortment of producers between her last few albums and is still exhibiting the same problems, one has to wonder if anyone is actually telling her no. I would hope that no self-respecting producer would let “CANCELLED!” make it past the drafting phase if their hands weren’t tied in some way.

So… is the album as offensively terrible as pop stans or an extreme (read: deranged) Taylor Swift hater will lead you to believe? No, not really. But it is extremely disappointing. I truly hope Swift will take some time to reflect and reassess her artistry after this era. There are still glimmers of what makes Taylor Swift special in Showgirl, but the quality and refinement of Folklore and Evermore continues to grow farther and farther out of sight.

FINAL RATING: 2 out of 5

GIRLSET wants you to know two things: they’re back and they’re in control.

Formerly known as VCHA, GIRLSET debuted on the survival T.V. show “A2K”, a collaboration between Korean entertainment company JYP Entertainment and American record label Republic Records to form a new global girl group. After a bootcamp and a competition of choreography and dancing, a girl group of six members was left standing. These six members debuted as VCHA. However, in June 2024, JYP suspended group activities citing issues between member KG and the company. In July 2025, another member, Kaylee, announced she would be parting ways with the group. Four members remained: Lexi, Camila, Kendall, and Savanna.

In a shockingly fast turnaround from Kaylee’s departure, GIRLSET announced a comeback in August and released their re-debut song “Commas”, an upbeat empowerment anthem. Immediately, the stark differences between VCHA and GIRLSET were apparent. Where VCHA was cute and playful, GIRLSET was bold and powerful.

In a recent press conference, GIRLSET delved deeper into their intentions behind their re-debut. For example, the music video for “Commas” featured a red, black, and white color scheme which the girls emphasized was purposeful. “I think those colors in general are just very bold,” said Savanna, “[They] seemed like the right colors to just show us for the first time again.” Also, when I asked about how GIRLSET intends to set itself apart from other global girl groups, Camila emphasized how it important it is going to be for them to “have a clear vision for the group” and “[stick] to what they believe”.  Without revealing too much, her self-assured response instills a sense of confidence in the group’s vision and future. Most importantly, it is also a statement that fans can trust since the girls have creative control over the direction of GIRLSET. This means that the music, lyrics, and concepts will all be directly influenced by the members—a freedom that is often rare in a girl group setting.

This freedom is directly connected to the most exciting aspect of GIRLSET which is how certain the members are of their music. On the topic of taking control of the group’s creative direction, Camila said, “I’m really excited for the next songs to come because I feel like people are going to finally understand what we’re talking about.” According to the members, these songs will continue to bridge the gap between K-pop and Western production and styling. Also, being a group that has members from all around the world, GIRLSET plans to find ways to represent their cultures (Cuban, Hmong, Vietnamese and Venezuelan) in their music. “We definitely do want to incorporate more cultural sounds and be able to really show that so that we can represent and bring everyone in the world together,” Lexi emphasized. So, to the fans rallying for the group to adventure into these sounds, they hear you! In terms of pop influences, the girls cite Ariana Grande, FLO, JENNIE, and Fifth Harmony, all of which can already be heard coming through in “Commas”. Overall, every move GIRLSET is making is crucial to living up to their namesake: setting who they want to be.

GIRLSET ended the conference by stressing that big things are coming. For example, while they couldn’t touch on much specifically, the girls made it clear that they will be performing live for the first time as a group in 2026. Along with performances, they emphasized that new music is on the way. So, if you’re looking for a new group to stan, now is the perfect time to jump in.

“Commas” is available now to stream on all streaming platforms.