"Youthanasia": As Told By Jez Dior

"Youthanasia": As Told By Jez Dior

If there is one artist that I will list without fail when asked for music suggestions it is Jez Dior.  As of today, I haven’t met one person who has hasn’t fallen in love after the first listen.  Son of 1970’s punk rocker Steve Dior, Jez’s influences range from Kurt to Kanye and has resulted in what he has coined as “grunge rap”.  After a collaboration mixtape with The Neighbourhood’s Jesse Rutherford and his solo mixtape “Scarlett Sage”, Jez really seemed to find his sound with 2014’s “The Funeral”. 

The distorted guitar riffs and a Smashing Pumpkins lyric placed in-between Eminem and 50 cent references found on the opening track “Heroin” set the tone for the rest of the release.  The EP was dark and revolutionary, yet Jez never seemed to gain the attention he deserved. 

I fell in love with Jez Dior's music because of his unapologetic love for creating a sound that others had never seemed to consider.  The cornrows and painted nails that he so often flaunts mix magically with lyrics involving death and addiction to create a persona that pays homage to both the darkest streets and brightest lights of Dior's hometown of Hollywood.  The artist has created an image that is both iconic and relatable and combines it with a sound that matches.  

Considering that it's been two years since his release of "The Funeral" I was beyond impatient for the release of "Youthanaisa" on September 16th.  The first track “Separated” opens with a reverberating guitar and melodious vocals before the beat drops and Dior’s raspy rhyming takes over with full force. Jez continues this blending of sounds over the rest of the five song EP to create a sound that transformed his “grunge rap” style into something new entirely.

Jez told Complex Magazine that “this project embodies everything I've been feeling this past year. The reason I called it Youthanasia is because I was in a place in my life where I really felt like if I didn't start changing my ways and growing up, my youthfulness was going to overcome me. So it was either grow up and kill off my youth or be killed by it.” 

A song by song description of this EP is absurd because it could never do the music justice.  Just listen.  Please.  You will thank me later.  I wouldn’t be the least bit surprised if Dior’s release of “Youthanaisa” finally lands him in the limelight.  One day I'm sure I'll see "the star on the boulevard" he swears will one day be his on the last track of the EP

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Monday Blues: A Playlist

Monday Blues: A Playlist

Ask anyone and they'll tell you the same thing- Mondays suck. Tuesdays are scientifically proven to be the most productive day of the week, Wednesdays are the top of the hill, Thursdays are usually uneventful, and Fridays are the unofficial start of the weekend. We drag ourselves through Mondays in order to get to the rest of the week, and if you're anything like me, you're fighting the urge to fall asleep in class. Here are some songs that help Mondays feel a little less awful.

1) Up Up Up - Givers

2) Your Love – The Outfield

3) Love you Madly - Cake

4) Sweet Disaster - DREAMERS

5) Don’t Save Me - Haim

6) Fever – The Black Keys

7) Take It Or Leave It – Cage the Elephant

8) Old Yellow Bricks – Arctic Monkeys

9) Always Where I Need to Be – The Kooks

10) I Don’t Wanna Know – Fleetwood Mac

11) Sweet Sun – Milky Chance

12) 1989 – The Rakes

13) Get Ready, Don’t Get Ready – Black Thistles

14) Dead Friend – Against Me!

15) I’m A Liar – The Pigeon Dectectives

NYFW: The Stills

NYFW: The Stills

As NYFW comes to a close, here are some of the highlights from those days of chaos.

Katie Gallagher's "Eclipse" at Foley Studios. 

Yours truly outside VFiles pre- getting kicked out of their show with Kye (it's a looooong story). 

Baron Von Fancy's pop up in NoLita (it was overpriced and overrated but still quite cute and the event.)

My best friend, Anh, with our new most prized procession (they gave them away for free at the pop up and we couldn't resist a good Lil Yachty). 

Sam from 101topnotch in front of VFiles on day 2 looking ethereal. 

Anh and I taking a coffee/cake break as we go through the Katie Gallagher shots from the other night.

Skaters in SoHo we were crushin on (I also want to take a moment to appreciate how willing they were to let us photograph them due to their killer fits). 

The Price of Passion | A Poem About Creative Careers

The Price of Passion | A Poem About Creative Careers

Photo by Paolo Raeli

my father sits me down during dinner

his gaunt face blankly staring at me

he reminds me of

the bleak, penniless life of a writer

I no longer want to eat

my grandmother and I are having tea

her warm smile can cure any heartache

she tells me one of her stories about life in China

this one is about a past love

suddenly

she suggests more “practical” jobs
I could pursue

she is no longer smiling

my mother

who despises her job

laughs

“You’re eating now
but what about when you have no money left?"

all I see though are long nights
at the office
my eyes strained from the harsh, bright lights
stiff from hours at a cubicle
forcing myself to live for the sake of a wage
life does not move with
my heartbeat
but a paycheck
love comes in dollar bills
sanity is a small price to pay

I’m sorry that my heart swells with passion
that my chest beams with courage
I don’t cry the tears of
my mother
my father
my peers
who have never tasted fulfillment
but of a storyteller whose tongue
is coated with the purest of love
my income is my breath
words are my heartbeat
and I am ready to live

The NYFW Color Palette

The NYFW Color Palette

Atmosphere at Altuzarra SS17. Photo via Vogue Runway. Edit by author.

New York Fashion Week wrapped up this past Thursday, and its shows were unique, artistic, and—as always—very entertaining. One cannot help but notice the recurring color palette in each show, so let’s take a look at this season’s colors of choice and dive into their significance in the industry.

Photos via Vogue Runway

Whites and Creams: Complete. Pure. The color of perfection. Purity. Wholeness. Innocence. Completion. Neutrality. White awakens openness, growth, and creativity as the color is completely reflective. According to Empower Yourself with Color Psychology, “Many people use white as a recall of their youth and innocence. It reminds them of a time when their lives were easier and less complicated.” We cannot help but agree as this season’s displays the color in youthful styles. White also represents new beginnings; perhaps its use this season marks a shift in trends and changes in the fashion industry.

 

Photos via Vogue Runway

Pastel Blue: Serenity. Calm. Spirituality. “Psychologically associated with air, lighter blues have a calming effect,” according to Color Wheel Artist. The use of pastel blues this season indicated cleanliness and mimicked the feeling of fresh air. In a world as chaotic as it is today, such a breath of fresh air is very much needed.

Photos via Vogue Runway

Olive: Space. Wisdom. Peace. Compassion. Hope. As stated by Vibrational Energy Medicine, the color olive is “the feminine archetype of compassion, wisdom, acceptance and understanding and modeling it to others.” For women’s ready-to-wear shows, olive green in a collection seeks to empower women and represent their strength.

Photos via Vogue Runway

Bright Red: Energy. War. Danger. Strength. Power. Determination. Passion. Desire. Love. As an emotionally intense color, red is used to indicate courage as well as danger. Along with olive green, red gives the impression of female empowerment and strength. Bringing red into a collection grabs the audience’s attention, and creates a sense of dominance.

Why Are We Fighting About Food?

Why Are We Fighting About Food?

Editorial by Brindy Francis

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Photo from Tumblr 

It’s Friday night. You decided to have all your friends over to watch the season finale of Stranger Things on Netflix. On your way home from work, you stop by Trader Joe’s to pick up some chips and dips and such. You remembered that Haley is vegan, so you pick up only vegan things so that everyone can eat and enjoy themselves! But wait, Johnny the meat eater doesn’t want any “rabbit food.” Crap. Now Haley the vegan is trying to throw environmental facts down meat-eater Johnny’s throat. It is now a riot.

Okay, but here’s the thing. Nobody cares what you eat. Nobody cares that you think vegans are stupid. Nobody cares that you think meat eaters are stupid. Nobody cares if you only eat fish, egg whites, or only the stem of broccoli. I’m not saying I’m going to support you for eating meat necessarily (I, myself, am a vegetarian), but I will defend your right to eat whatever you want.

Don’t get me wrong, I love hearing facts about how veganism can help us environmentally and health-wise and how it is saving our rainforests. I like hearing your stance on everything, but not everyone is going to. Just like the party situation, it can turn into a riot. I’m sure everyone could be interested in a nice conversation about it, but becoming defensive will not help your case. You’re here to have a good time! Let’s simmer down.

I’ve gotten comments my whole life being an off and on vegetarian. Every family event, I am questioned why I eat the way I do. I just inform them that it is my choice. Now, with veganism growing month after month, meat-eaters are looked down upon in youth. It does not have to be that way. People are not understanding that someone’s lifestyle is not going to affect them.

Whether you eat meat and dairy or not has been the big topic of discussion in the past year or so. The documentary Cowspiracy, directed and produced by Kip Andersen in 2014, really got people going. Animal cruelty was recognized, which is fantastic, but now everyone is expected to take that information and do something intense with it, such as change your diet and/or products completely. Something not understood is that it’s not as easy as everyone thinks it is, especially when someone is under harsh living conditions. Some people just flat out do not care about the movement at all. Does that mean they need to be shunned?

Having views is an absolutely wonderful thing, but you need to question whether it is really something worth feuding about. In no way do I want to advise you to not fight for what you believe in. If someone is being unreasonable about it, by all means, put them in their place. The point of this read is to bring peace to the situation. Yes, you have the right to speak whatever comes to mind, but you don’t have to be an asshole about it.

Amber Run Album Review

Amber Run Album Review

Photo courtesy of Raquel Candeias

Amber Run’s debut album 5AM strikes up a memory of old love, hardship, and loss. When I listen to the group's melancholy, yet euphoric anthems, I feel like I am listening to pieces of myself. As if their words are digging up long forgotten thoughts and feelings that I did not have the nerve to face until now. Their lyrics are honest and relatable. Joe Keogh the lead singer, pulls you in with his hypnotic, ghostly vocals while the rest of the band mashes traditional instruments to create a haunting, yet soothing melody. 

Photo courtesy of DaysTune

The five piece British band hailing from Nottingham, England, broke their first deluxe album last year following the release of three EPs in 2014: Noah, Spark, and Pilot. Needless to say, 2014 was a busy year for these guys in terms of prepping and learning the ins and outs of the music world. Their latest release, however, was earlier this year with a brand new single Haze. 

Photo courtesy of Kluens

Laced in the midst of all their songs are hypnotic harmonies and captivating buildups. A gripping string of tell-all words form a story that listeners can relate to, drawing on the nostalgia hidden in all of us. Although lyrics about lost love and misfortune are not part of a groundbreaking musical revolution, they are, however, presented through harmonies that control the movement of the song, and set Amber Run apart from many of the desperate and determined artists striving to take a piece of the music industry. 

Their lyrics may not always be clever, but they are truthful narratives of experiences that we can all find relevance in. With phrases like, "We got work in the morning, but it's nearly 5 AM. Is this really what we envisioned? We won't be twenty-one again," I think of my current state of life and wonder if I'm really where I want to be, or if I'm idling for the time being. It reminds me that life is short and that time will go on, whether we are happy or not. 

We can find something familiar in Amber Run, and I think that something is the remainder of passion after defeat and the will to go on.