emotional

Like Lana Del Rey’s goth sister, Ethel Cain eulogises seedy all-American glamour over doomy, expansive pop-rock sounds. Her debut album features breathless depictions of badly behaved men (“He’s never looked more beautiful on his Harley in the parking lot, breaking into the ATMs”), grotty but idealised romantic setups, road trips filled with motels, diners and pistols, and the cold glitz of a strip club.Yet, as the title suggests, the album’s other preoccupation is religion. Cain’s father was a deacon, and as a teenager…

Less than halfway into 2022, it’s already clear that this year is going down in gaming’s history books — Elden Ring’s jaw-dropping success alone set that in stone. Though giant blockbusters have been the focal point of conversation this year, most of this year’s most impressive projects are much smaller in scale. It has quietly been a tremendous year for indie games exiting early access. A concept that has become more popular over the past decade, the early access approach allows developers to release games well…