Category: News

Can I interest you in a “true-crime love story” from the creator of Mr. Robot starring William Jackson Harper and Cristin Milioti? I sure hope so, because The Resort looks extremely good. In the Peacock series, The Good Place and Palm Springs stars play Noah and Emma, a couple celebrating their 10-year wedding anniversary at an ocean resort who get involved in an unsolved mystery.

“This phone belonged to a kid who went missing down here 15 years ago. It belonged to Sam Lawford. Sam and his mom and his dad and his girlfriend arrived at this resort on Christmas night. But then, the next morning, he’s gone,” Emma explains in the trailer above. “Later on, this other guest from the resort was also reported missing.” What happened to them? Emma vows to get answers, but “what if there aren’t any answers?” Noah wonders. There have to be, she answers, “otherwise, what is the f*cking point?”

Here’s the official plot synopsis:

A multi-generational, coming-of-age love story disguised as a fast-paced mystery about the disappointment of time. An anniversary trip puts a marriage to the test when the couple finds themselves embroiled in one of the Yucatan’s most bizarre unsolved mysteries that took place fifteen years prior.

The Resort — which also stars Licorice Pizza and The Righteous Gemstones breakout Skyler Gisondo, Nick Offerman, Dylan Baker, and Becky Ann Baker — premieres on Peacock on July 28.

Long Beach singer Giveon may have taken some flack online over an inopportune microphone issue during his BET Awards performance on Sunday, but that didn’t stop him from giving his all when he returned to America’s televisions last night on The Tonight Show to perform his song “Lie Again” while promoting his new album, Give Or Take. Taking the stage in a bedazzled sweater and slacks, the deep-voiced crooner showed off his range, sprinkling his soaring performance with subtle hints of falsetto, making it very hard to find something to complain about this time around.

Aside from his BET Awards hiccup, Giveon has enjoyed the increased attention on his music ever since featuring on Justin Bieber’s “Peaches” with Daniel Caesar, delivering a string of television performances for Ellen,
The Tonight Show, and the 2021 American Music Awards. He even received a coveted co-sign from Drake himself during a show in Toronto. With his debut album out now via Epic Records, fans can look forward to his tour supporting it beginning in August. You can see the full dates below.

8/16 – Philadelphia, PA @ The Metropolitan Opera House
8/17 – New Haven, CT @ College Street Music Hall
8/19 – New York, NY @ Radio City Music Hall
8/21 – Brooklyn, NY @ Kings Theatre
8/23 – Boston, MA @ House of Blues
8/26 – Richmond, VA @ The National
8/27 – Norfolk, VA @ The Norva
8/28 – Charlotte, NC @ The Fillmore
8/30 – Atlanta, GA @ Coca-Cola Roxy
8/31 – Raleigh, NC @ The Ritz
9/2 – Orlando, FL @ House of Blues
9/3 – Miami, FL @ The Oasis
9/4 – St. Petersburg, FL @ Jannus Live
9/6 – New Orleans, LA @ Orpheum Theater
9/8 – Houston, TX @ 713 Music Hall
9/9 – Austin, TX @ Stubb’s Waller Creek Amphitheatre
9/10 – Dallas, TX – The Factory
9/12 – Tempe, AZ @ Marquee Theatre
9/13 – Las Vegas, NV @ House of Blues
9/15 – Los Angeles, CA @ Hollywood Forever Cemetery
9/16 – Los Angeles, CA – Primavera Sound **Festival Date
9/18 – Oakland, CA @ Fox Theater
9/20 – Portland, OR @ Roseland Theater
9/21 – Seattle, WA- The Paramount Theatre
9/22 – Vancouver, BC @ Malkin Bowl
9/24 – Salt Lake City, UT @ The Union Event Center
9/25 – Denver, CO- The Mission Ballroom
9/27 – Minneapolis, MN @ The Fillmore
9/29 – Kansas City, MO @ Arvest Bank Theatre At The Midland
9/30 – Saint Louis, MO @ The Pageant
10/2 – Chicago, IL @ Aragon Ballroom
10/4 – Detroit, MI @ The Masonic Theater
10/5 – Cleveland, OH @ Agora Theater
10/7 – Indianapolis, IN @ Egyptian Room At Old National Centre
10/9 – Nashville, TN @ Marathon Music Works
10/11 – Columbus, OH @ Kemba Live!
10/12 – Pittsburgh , PA- Stage AE
10/14 – Washington, DC @ The Anthem
10/16 – Montreal, QC @ MTELUS
10/19 – Toronto, ON @ HISTORY

Kyrie Irving opted into the final year of his deal with the Brooklyn Nets earlier this week, putting an end to a standoff that raised serious questions about what the future would hold for himself, the team, and Kevin Durant. One reported reason why this ended up being the case was Irving surveyed the league for a sign-and-trade, only to see none come to fruition.

The team that was linked the strongest to Irving was the Los Angeles Lakers, as reports indicated there was a sense Irving could find a way to reunite with LeBron James in L.A. But according to a new piece by Shams Charania of The Athletic, the team’s preference would have been for that to happen without a trade happening.

For their part, the Lakers were much more motivated to have Irving sign as a free agent than they were in acquiring the three-time All-NBA guard via trade, sources said. And as Irving went through his opt-in-and-trade options — as well as the potential of joining the Lakers in free agency — the decision to return to Brooklyn crystalized.

This, obviously, makes a ton of sense for the Lakers, as Irving would have needed to take a pay cut of about $30 million to come as a free agent. There’s also the matter of trying to figure out what the team would have needed to give up in a trade for Irving — L.A. only has a pair of future first round picks that can help facilitate a trade, while the player they most logically could have given up in an Irving trade if they did not have to incentivize a third team to come on board, Russell Westbrook, both had not picked up his player option yet and has a history with Durant.

When you host a radio show that takes a summer vacation, it’s only natural to want to fill your summer with fun stuff like going to the beach, reading some books, and perhaps joining the Marvel Cinematic Universe as the Fantastic Four villain, Dr. Doom. Luckily, this seems to be Howard Stern‘s summer plans…though he might have leaked it by accident? If it is really happening at all? The Jury is still out.

While signing off The Howard Stern Show for the summer, Stern’s mic appeared to stay on briefly when he mentioned he would be involved in some sort of production about Dr. Doom this summer, and that he was “miserable” about it.

“They’re going over the schedule with me and it’s gonna suck,” Stern says, seemingly unhappy with his summer project. When asked “are you working this summer?” Stern replied, “Well, I told you I’m gonna do Dr. Doom. But…believe me, I’m f*cking miserable about it.” He then call himself an asshole. Not a great way to begin your MCU debut. Or maybe it is?

The radio host also mentions calling up Iron Man himself, Robert Downey Jr., asking him for advice, before the sound cuts off.

Either way, fans heard the moment, and are taking to Twitter to see what the deal is. Will Stern be playing another superhero? Or was he just messing with everyone? The timing would make sense, as Mr. Fantastic made a cameo in the latest Doctor Strange movie, which could mean the universe is being set up for another movie, and Dr. Doom is often battling against the Fantastic Four. Hopefully, it will be better than the last one.

Still, Stern made waves yesterday when he decided he would maybe run for president. This guy has some big summer plans!

On Tuesday, former White House aide Cassidy Hutchinson dropped some major bombshells about Donald Trump allegedly acting like a bratty toddler trying to overthrow democracy as we know it on January 6th—and Trevor Noah wanted to talk about that. But first, he got right down to “some good news,” by which he meant the now-infamous slap on the back given to Rudy Giuliani at a Staten Island ShopRite on Sunday, which the former New York City mayor swears felt like a gunshot—and could have killed him. “Thankfully,” Noah explained, “Rudy is now doing okay after just barely surviving a heinous drive-by on his upper back.”

When Noah’s audience dared to laugh, he mockingly chastised them:

“Don’t you dare laugh! This is second degree assault! That’s how tough New York’s laws are. Third degree is if you lightly blow on someone’s ear. And first degree is if you boop them on the nose. Boop!”

Noah clarified that he doesn’t think it’s right for anyone to be putting their hands on another person—even if it’s Rudy—without their consent. “But, no way in hell is that second degree assault,” he said of what the footage of the “attack” shows to be best, at best, a slightly aggressive tap on the back. “If that’s assault then, what? I guess Will Smith murdered Chris Rock?!” But Noah wasn’t even close to done:

“I love how they say ‘Rudy declined medical attention.’ Medical attention for what? For what? That’s the kind of injury where the only thing you could do is kiss it and make it feel better. That’s it… In fact, if anyone needs medical attention here, it’s the guy who touched Rudy Giuliani. That dude’s hand probably looks like Dumbledore’s after he bare-handed a Horcrux.”

Noah’s favorite part of the entire saga is how each time Rudy recounts the terrifying details of the moment a grocery store employee patted him on the back, “the more the slap seemed to hurt.” While Giuliani began with explaining how he stumbled forward, which would be enough to kill an elderly man like himself. From there, it progressed to feeling like a boulder, then a gunshot. But the most entertaining retelling might have been when Newsmax nincompoop Greg Kelly told Rudy that “it really doesn’t look that bad,” and Giuliani attempted to pretend like what Kelly was reacting to was the woman who rubbed his back (ewwww!) following the vicious assault—then claimed that she nearly fell over because of the “reverberations.”

REVERBERATIONS!

“He slapped me so hard my eyeballs fell out,” Noah teased, “and I, I, I had to pick them up and put them back in. You all saw it. You saw it. He slapped me so hard I shit out the side of my face two years ago. Yeah, that’s how hard it was.”

You can watch the full clip above.

Johnnie Walker is one of the best-selling whiskies in the world. Well over ten million cases are shipped to every corner of the planet every single year, making it almost synonymous with the word “whisky” in many nations. Chivas Regal is right up there with JW when it comes to sales. Millions and millions of cases go out worldwide year after year. But sales don’t inform flavor. So I’m conducting a blind taste for the ages and pitting four classic Johnnie Walker expressions against four classic Chivas Regal expressions.

The real thrust of this blind tasting is to see which blended Scotch whisky reigns supreme in a one-on-one showdown. I didn’t put in any crazy ringers from their limited-edition releases or ridiculously old expression. These are all bottles you should be able to find at any decent liquor store nationwide. Moreover, this is about the taste. Which one actually tastes better? Does the mild peat of Johnnie Walker drag it down or help it excel? Does Chivas Regal’s fruitiness overwhelm or shine? Let’s find out.

Our lineup today is:

• Johnnie Walker Double Black
• Chivas Regal Mizunara
• Chivas Regal 12
• Johnnie Walker Blue
• Johnnie Walker 18
• Chivas Regal 13 Extra
• Johnnie Walker Gold Label Reserve
• Chivas Regal 18 Gold Signature

Before we dive in, I want to make it clear that I taste/drink far more Johnnie Walker than Chivas Regal. Therefore, my personal palate is going to be slightly more tuned toward the subtle smokiness of that brand. That said, I can be objective in what I’m tasting as being well-made, tasty, and approachable, and that’s how I’m going about this tasting. Let’s get into it!

Also Read: The Top 5 UPROXX Scotch Whisky Posts of The Last Six Months

• All Of Johnnie Walker’s Core Whisky Line, Blind Tasted And Ranked
• Scotch Whiskies Tasted ‘Double-Blind’ And Power Ranked
• The Best Scotch Whiskies Under $50, Ranked
• The Winning Scotch And Bourbon Whiskeys From This Year’s Ascot Awards
• The Best Scotch Whisky Between $60-$70, Ranked

Part 1: The Tasting

Taste 1

Tasting Notes:

This opens with a nice and fruity nose full of smoked apricot and dark cherry next to a hint of raw oatmeal cookie dough. The palate has a nice layer of vanilla that leans creamy with tart apple chips, smoked cherry, and a hint of date. The end focuses on the smoked aspect of the cherry as a thin line of “oak” leads to a smoky parlor full of old leather chairs.

This is definitely a Walker. It’s a little rougher around the edges though.

Taste 2

Tasting Notes:

Caramel and dark dried fruits mingle with tasty pears, soft orange zest, a touch of leather, and maybe some old oak staves on the nose. The palate has a dash or two of winter spice next to walnuts and honey-soaked raisins. The finish lets the spiciness warm the palate as pear and leather fade through the end.

This was “very good” according to my tasting notes. It didn’t stick with me though. I kind of forgot about it by the bottom of the next dram.

Taste 3

Tasting Notes:

This feels like a classic blended Scotch whisky from the jump with a nose full of floral honey, caramel, banana bread, and winter spice. The palate leans into the creamier side of vanilla with a lush mid-palate full of black pepper, nuts, and dried dark fruits. The end calms down considerably with only whispers of that creamy vanilla, winter spice, and malt fading out pretty quickly.

This was great on the front end but kind of faded to nothing on the back end. That’s not a bad thing if you’re building a cocktail, but didn’t quite grab my attention on this panel of pours.

Taste 4

Tasting Notes:

The nose on this one feels like silk with soft malts, dried plums, good marzipan, old boot leather, mulled wine spices, and a whisper of fireplace smoke. The taste layers orange oils into the marzipan as rose-water-infused honey leads to a line of bitter dark chocolate that’s touched with smoked malts and nuts. The end has an even keel of velvet mouthfeel next to floral honey, soft smoldering smoke from a fireplace, and old dried fruit.

This is a winner. It’s so lush and almost relaxing. It’s definitely the pour to beat as of now.

Taste 5

Tasting Notes:

This is nice. Apple chips and toffee mingle with ripe berries, old leather, and supple malts with a hint of dark brown spice. The palate is a mix of salted caramel next to marzipan and vanilla pudding with a touch of canned tangerine. The end is sweet with a line of dark chocolate cut with dried chili flakes with an ever so slight smoked edge.

This is just nice. I’m not sure will it’ll end up, but I’m betting it ends up high.

Taste 6

Tasting Notes:

The nose opens with a nice mix of vanilla, caramel, and fresh pear with a thin line of dried apricot and maybe some old vanilla pods. The palate stews those pears in very sweet syrup while the malts lean into sharp cinnamon with a hint of roasted almond and maybe even some toasted coconut. The end amps up the pear vibes as vanilla and cinnamon combine on a pretty short end.

The was a little too short and sweet for me. Don’t get me wrong, it was nice but not my cup of tea.

Taste 7

Tasting Notes:

The nose balances old leather gloves and honeyed oats with meaty sultanas, cinnamon-spiced malts, a hint of anise, and an echo of grilled fruit. The palate leans into the grilled fruit with a smoky underbelly and a savory edge (almost papaya) next to a lush vanilla cream and a sharp clove/allspice vibe. The finish combines the dried fruit and honey with a twinge of florals as a whisper of earthy peat sneaks in late, kind of like a dry moss slowly growing on a tree.

This is another that’s up there. It’s distinct and tasty.

Taste 8

Tasting Notes:

This just feels classic from the first nose onward. There are clear layers of very fancy dark chocolate that’s equal parts creamy and bitter next to dried red berries with a tart edge, buttery toffee, and a hint of dried roses wrapped in old leather. The palate marries the dried roses with the dark chocolate with a hint of smoked cherry and raspberry sneaking next to a touch of old vanilla husks and maybe some dried cedar. The end slowly fades through those florals and chocolate toward a sweet smoked note of tart fruit.

I think this might have won. It’s delicious.

Part 2: The Ranking

8. Chivas Regal 13 Extra — Taste 6

ABV: 40%

Average Price: $35

The Whisky:

This expression from Chivas is all about the single barrel aging. The malted juice goes into Oloroso sherry casks for 13 long years. Once those barrels hit the right flavor profile, they’re batched, proofed, and bottled.

Bottom Line:

I wrote “nice” in my notes. Generally, that means “yeah, this is fine, moving on.” Look, this is perfectly tasty but not engaging. I can see using this in highballs all day but I’m not standing in line to get another bottle.

7. Chivas Regal 12 — Taste 3

ABV: 40%

Average Price: $29

The Whiskey:

Chivas Regal is one of the biggest whiskies in the world, but that’s mostly outside of the U.S. The juice is a classic blend that is specifically built to be in a glass filled with rocks and maybe a splash of water.

Bottom Line:

This just sort of died in the end. Which is expected for a cheap 80-proof whisky. I’d pretty much keep this around for whisky highballs, which is damn near the entire point of this expression anyway.

6. Johnnie Walker Double Black — Taste 1

ABV: 40%

Average Price: $45

The Whisky:

This is basically Johnnie Black, a slightly peaty blend, that’s been casked again in deeply charred oak. The idea is to maximize that peat and amp up the Islay and Island smokiness of the final dram.

Bottom Line:

This feels right at sixth. It’s not outstanding but it’s perfectly good for its price point. I’d probably primarily use this in a cocktail since it has a solid base of flavor notes. But I could see pouring this over some rocks and going about my day.

5. Chivas Regal Mizunara — Taste 2

ABV: 40%

Average Price: $40

The Whisky:

Chivas is renowned for its iconic blended whisky. This expression — originally created for the Japanese market and released in the U.S. in 2019 — adds a unique dimension to the classic blend. A portion of the whisky is finished in Japanese Mizunara casks, adding a layer of nuanced flavors to the standard Chivas.

Bottom Line:

Again, this was perfectly fine. It didn’t jump out at me today, but it was good. I’m still in the “use this for a cocktail” range of this ranking though.

4. Johnnie Walker 18 — Taste 5

ABV: 40%

Average Price: $94

The Whisky:

This blend used to be called Johnnie Walker Platinum, which was also aged for 18 years. You might still see some of those bottles on shelves where scotch sells slowly. This is the same juice, which is comprised of 18 whiskies all of which are a minimum of 18 years old. The primary distilleries in the bottle are Blair Athol, Cardhu, Glen Elgin, and Auchroisk.

Bottom Line:

I also expected this to land a little higher. I really like this expression in general. Today, it was perfectly good but not “oh my, what’s the wonderful thing in my hand”-good.

3. Johnnie Walker Gold Label Reserve — Taste 7

ABV: 40%

Average Price: $88

The Whisky:

This no-age-statement blend leans into that signature Walker marriage of Highland and Speyside whiskies with a small dose of Western Scottish juice for good measure. The lion’s share of the whisky involved in this gilded bottle is Clynelish, a Highland whisky that adds a modicum of peat to the mix.

Bottom Line:

This was subtle and very engaging. The only reason it’s a little lower is that it was a little too subtle today. Had there been a “wow” moment on the palate, it would have been a top-two whisky for sure.

2. Johnnie Walker Blue — Taste 4

ABV: 40%

Average Price: $240

The Whisky:

This is the mountaintop of Johnnie Walker’s whiskies. The blend is a marriage of ultra-rare stock from extinct Diageo distilleries around Scotland. That’s just … cool. This expression is all about barrel selection and the mastery of a great noser and blender working together to create something special.

Bottom Line:

I would have put good money on this hitting number one. It just didn’t have quite the verve of the next entry to really stand out today. That said, it was a goddamn delicious pour all around.

1. Chivas Regal 18 Gold Signature — Taste 8

ABV: 40%

Average Price: $79

The Whisky:

Chivas 18 is the brand’s signature higher-end blend. The juice is built around a specially made Strathisla 18 single malt. That juice is supported by 20 other single malts from around Scotland with various casking processes.

Bottom Line:

This was a surprise. This juice just exploded from the glass with nuance and depth while still feeling comfortable and inviting. This was the pour I actually wanted to go back to immediately after the tasting for another go-around.

Part 3: Final Thoughts

I’m pretty surprised Chivas won the day over Johnnie. I guess that means I need to reach for my Chivas 18 a bit more often than I do since I really liked that flavor profile today.

Overall, Johnnie Walker is so subtly peated that it really did stand up well against the softer and fruiter Chivas. But I also see why Chivas is so beloved over Johnnie Walker and vice versa. They both have clear merits and appeal to a certain subset of scotch lovers. If you’re overly sensitive to peat, Johnnie just isn’t going to work for you. If you’re not into the sweet honeyed fruit, then Chivas isn’t going to be your jam.

Side by side, there were a lot of parallels though. Those dried fruits, spiced malts, old leather, honey, nuts, etc. I think you’d be in a good position to try both numbers one and two on this list and see where your palate lands on them.

In the aftermath of the Supreme Court overturning Roe v. Wade, white evangelical couples gleefully capitalized on abortion rights being scattered to the wind by posting photos of themselves with either signs or captions that read, “We will adopt your baby.” On top of completely failing to read the room, the whole thing was super creepy, and it didn’t take long for the couples to start getting roasted on social media.

To combat the bleak and depressing undertones of Christian couples having zero chill about already laying claim to unborn fetuses, “We will adopt your baby” quickly became a hilarious meme that dominated Twitter following the confirmation of Roe v. Wade being overturned. In a fitting move, The Boys got in on the act, which only further cemented the show’s status as a brutal satire of America’s political and pop culture landscape.

Series creator Eric Kripke posted a photo of Homelander (Antony Starr) and Stormfront (Aya Cash) with the “We will adopt your baby” caption, and it’s an absolutely perfect addition. Kripke understood the assignment. In the show, the public views Homelander and Stormfront as an idol-worthy superhero power couple, but in reality, he’s a psychotic, murderous man-child and she’s a literal Nazi. Essentially, the last two people who should adopt the baby. (The less we talk about Homelander’s parenting, the better.)

You can see some more “We will adopt your baby” memes below because, again, people really did not appreciate creepy couples announcing their baby-snatching intentions on the heels of a mass loss in women’s rights. Not cool.

(Via Eric Kripke on Twitter)

On Tuesday, former White House aide Cassidy Hutchinson provided some of the most explosive testimony we’ve so far heard during the January 6th hearings when she shared some never-before-heard details of what was happening in the West Wing as rioters attacked the Capitol. The picture she painted of Donald Trump in particular was not a pretty one.

According to Hutchinson, Trump’s petulance was on full display on January 6, 2021, as he allegedly threw a series of temper tantrums over everything from his gun-toting supporters not being allowed into his Stop the Steal rally (he was purportedly confident that they weren’t there to hurt him) to being told that he couldn’t go to the Capitol to take part in the insurrection with his peeps (the story of Trump attempting to grab the steering wheel and choke out a Secret Service agent with his free hand will go down as part of his sh*tty legacy).

While several Trump loyalists (and Trump himself) have attempted to paint Hutchinson as a know-nothing assistant looking for her 15 minutes of fame, other White House insiders who know Hutchinson, including Trump’s one-time acting chief of staff Mick Mulvaney, stand by Hutchinson and her credibility.

Yet, that a ​​septuagenarian toddler was in charge of the country for four years should hardly come as a surprise to anyone. Hutchinson’s testimony that January 6th wasn’t the first or only time she’d seen or heard about Trump pitching a fit reminded many people, including The New York Times’ Peter Baker, of the 2021 revelation that among his staffers was a person known as “The Music Man,” whose job included singing show tunes to the then-president whenever he was overly cranky.

This anecdote was first shared in late 2021 by Stephanie Grisham, the one-time White House press secretary and Melania Trump’s eventual chief of staff. Last year, Grisham dished on life inside Trump’s wacky White House in her memoir, I’ll Take Your Questions Now, and she spoke with Baker on Tuesday, where she essentially confirmed that Hutchinson’s admissions tracked with what she witnessed as part of Team Trump.

“His temper was scary. And swift,” Grisham told The New York Times. “He’d snap and almost lose control.”

While many people probably didn’t take Trump for a Broadway guy, he is apparently a huge fan of Andrew Lloyd Webber and Cats in particular. In fact, in 2020, Webber sent a cease-and-desist letter to Trump for using “Memory” at his rallies. In 2016, he received the same negative reaction from the creators of Les Misérables after Trump played “Do You Hear the People Sing?” from the musical at another rally.

While Grisham never stated who “The Music Man” was, The New York Times speculated at the time that it was Max Miller, a then-aide to Trump and Grisham’s ex-boyfriend.

(Via The New York Times)

Last night, Machine Gun Kelly took to Madison Square Garden for a massive sold-out show, but it’s what he did after that’s making headlines this morning: At an after-party, Kelly went ahead and, keeping with his signature intensity, smashed a glass on his face and mostly acted like he wasn’t bleeding fairly heavily from his head.

In a video shared on Kelly’s Instagram Story (also viewable via Page Six), Kelly, speaking to a small crowd at New York’s Catch Steak, says, “Bro, I don’t give a sh*t,” before smashing the glass on his face. He continues talking as people around him let out audible gasps. The next clips shows Kelly, with a decent amount of blood on his face and bloody napkins in his hand, singing his and Blackbear’s “My Ex’s Best Friend.” Kelly captioned the first video, “and this is when things turned…”

This all comes after Kelly’s new documentary, Life In Pink. In the film, he describes a suicide attempt, saying, “I called [Megan Fox], I was like, ‘You aren’t here for me.’ I’m freaking out on her and I put the shotgun in my mouth. I’m yelling on the phone and the barrel’s in my mouth. I go to cock the shotgun and the bullet as it comes back up, the shell just gets jammed. Megan’s dead silent.”

Sasha Alex Sloan decided there was no better time to write an entire album about her depression than during a global pandemic. Already a veteran songwriter behind-the-scenes, and with one album as a solo artist under her belt, Sloan channeled her wry, funny, and sad lyrics into a singer-songwriter record that doubles as some of the most depressing pop released this year so far. But if the success of the likes of Phoebe Bridgers and Kacey Musgraves has taught us anything, it’s that depressing music can be extremely comforting, too. It’s a reminder that listeners aren’t alone with their difficult feelings, and a more honest expression of what many people are feeling today than the shiny veneer of toxic positivity.

Happy in her relationship, and therefore left with no plans for adding a breakup album to her repertoire anytime soon, a general sense of malaise was lingering for Sloan — so she dug into that. “For a while, I was scared of writing about being depressed,” she admitted during a recent phone interview following the release of the final product, her second album, I Blame The World. “Because I was in this weird state of being happy in my relationship, and not really wanting to write about that. What I was really feeling was depression. So I was like, whatever — people write whole albums about breakups, I can write a whole album about being depressed. And that’s kind of what I did.”

What started off as the inklings of a folk record pretty quickly spiraled off into her “non-hopeful” reflection on what it’s like to be a twenty-something in 2022 — global pandemic sun, mental illness moon, global warming rising. It’s not necessarily that I Blame The World doesn’t include moments of hopefulness, it definitely does, especially on the aptly titled “Global Warming,” which finds comfort in moments of relational intimacy. It’s that Sloan doesn’t deal in aphorisms or easy, optimistic answers that ring hollow.

“These past few years have just made me a different person,” she said. “I’ve always been really cynical, but over the past few years I’ve gotten really angry. Because when you just spend every day inside your house reading awful news it does traumatic things to your brain. I think that’s what I was feeling.” Since Sloan started putting out music when she was pretty young, at the age of 22, it’s also a natural progression that her second album would be more outwardly focused.

Initially moving to Los Angeles to pursue songwriting, Sloan was discovered by music industry execs on the unlikeliest of places — Reddit. After a photo she posted went viral, Sloan did what any good meme creator does, she posted her SoundCloud link. Except with a photo of her parents gentle mocking her by painting “dork” above her room in the midst of repainting their house, a cadre of devout internet fans became very involved in following along with their favorite new nerd. Her music got into the right hands, and that sense of self-deprecation has remained a thread all throughout the process.

After starting at Berklee College Of Music when she was 18, Sloan dropped out to pursue her publishing deal and moved to LA at 19 when her viral moment led to a publishing deal. “I had no idea that writing songs for artists was even a job,” she laughed. “I thought every artist wrote for themselves, because that’s how all the artists I grew up listening to did it — they just wrote their own songs. So I had a lot to learn when I moved to LA. I worked in a coffee shop, and wasn’t getting cuts for a long time. I think the first four years of LA was songwriting boot camp for me.”

That boot camp culminated in her debut album, Only Child, dropped with the not-so-auspicious timing of October 2020. Considering how hard it is for new pop stars to break out even during the best of times — and how many other people were dealing with the fallout of releasing music in what was now a dead-end year — Sloan dealt with the disappointment and got back into the studio. With tour and any live performances on hold, it was the logical thing for a lot of writers. The resulting songs were filled with the disappointment and frustration a lot of people experienced during the pandemic, as well as a renewed appreciation for her partner.

On early singles like the searing title track, or the existential, ’90s-inflected “WTF,” that tension between depression and gratitude comes through loud and clear. Other songs, like “Adult,” deal with just how difficult it has been for Gen Z and millennial twenty-somethings to transition into life on their own, as flailing job and housing markets have altered most people’s ability to take care of themselves. Elsewhere, though, like on album standout “Thank You,” Sloan finds solace in the small, everyday moments that make all the larger issues start to fade away.

“That song was written after my fiance and I were stuck in a house together for a year and a half straight,” she said. “I just wanted to let him know that I really appreciated him being there for me and the highs and lows and you know, when he didn’t have to be, because that’s — that’s love. So that was my one gushy moment on the album. But, you know, it didn’t feel gushy, it felt real.”

As Sloan continues to write and release music for herself, instead of other artists, striking a balance between those darker feelings and the lighter moments might just be part of finding her own voice. “I think with this new record I wanted to have more fun with it,” she said. “I was in such a dark place when I was writing it. When I found myself making it sonically dark, it just felt too heavy. I was like ‘how can I express myself and how I’m feeling, but make it feel more fun?’ I was thinking a lot about the live show. Only Child was a more serious side, and this newest record is more fun. The vibe is I’m rolling my eyes and smiling at the same time.”

Stream I Blame The World here.