catharsis

New Orleans punks Special Interest come at the world head on, turning up the volume on the harsh realities society’s most overlooked face until the walls vibrate and the speakers blow. Their distinctive blend of techno and hardcore has always felt physical and communal, intended for dingy warehouses and beer-soaked basements where outsiders reign. Their latest album, Endure, skews almost radio-friendly, in an attempt to find release during a period of intense grief.Special Interest: Endure album coverBeginning work on the…

Toronto rapper Wave Montega wears his heart on his sleeve on his new album Catharsis, a 16-track therapy session that bounces between introspective raps and drill-inspired bangers.“The album manifested itself through some of the hardships and tragedies I went through in the past 4 years,” said Montega in a press release. “From losing people in my life to the Bando diaries, to past relationships. I got extremely vulnerable and transparent about how I deal with my pain and how it has affected me. Not having people to talk…

No other text has survived the many historical vicissitudes of Indian civilization as the Mahabharata has done. The epic story has overshadowed all other forms of human expression, and remained a product of extraordinary cultural significance. In a nutshell, it is an unending story of five generations culminating in a war fought over 18 days. With dramatic twists and mythical turns in the narrative, the epic has never ceased to excite its audiences and viewers. And yet, it is considered inauspicious to keep the text at…

At age 19, Olivia Rodrigo has already scored two No. 1 singles. She’s hung out with the president at the White House. She’s won three Grammy Awards, including the coveted best new artist prize.What the pop sensation hadn’t done until Tuesday was play a real-deal concert in Los Angeles, not far from where she grew up as a child actor in Temecula.That changed with the first of two sold-out hometown shows at the Greek Theatre, part of a world tour — Rodrigo’s high-profile bow as a live performer — behind her smash 2021…