Category: Elisabeth Kay

  • The Renaissance of That Girl; She’s the Best by Troye Sivan

    The Renaissance of That Girl; She’s the Best by Troye Sivan

    Words by Elisabeth Kay

    She’s The Best (via UMG)

    The last time we saw Troye Sivan, he introduced a blonde wig into his wardrobe. This debut of his drag persona was stunningly shocking, and unforgettable as you listen to his dreamy single One of Your Girls. Two years later, the blonde wig is back, accompanied by Nicole Kidman and Sasha Colby in the music video for Sivan’s newest single, She’s the Best.

    The track opens with a reminiscent 2000s beat so fierce it jolts your nervous system. Sivan zooms in on her, the dream-woven femme, in a blunt opening within the first fifteen seconds of the single:

    “She’s walking down the street with her little thin cigarette
    Great smile and a cum stain on her dress”

    Her comfortability in her own skin intimidates most. She’s messy, knotted, chic, and she doesn’t screw around: “DJs from Wednesday to Monday / Don’t ask she’s not taking any fucking requests.” Rather than criticizing her headstrong determination, Sivan wrote this song to applaud this type of woman; he’s not making excuses for her, not defending her behavior, but rather holding it as the standard. To him, she is everything, with the repeating chorus being two awe-filled words: that girl, that girl.

    But she’s more than just the human embodiment of hyper-pop mixed with indie-sleaze. Sivan slows down the second verse to make sure listeners don’t skim over the dreamer that lives inside of this hard shell of a girl: “She always knew she had something special in-inside.” As the beat grows quiet, this lyric comes out almost as a whisper; we finally have a moment alone with her, and she has a secret to tell us. On the inside, that girl has dreams of her own. A spark ignited as a little girl shines in the intimacy of the moment, and now we all relate to that girl a little bit more— it’s not corny to be a dreamer.

    That girl isn’t exclusive to one type of womanhood. With lyrics such as: “Eyeliner in her waterline and some contour on her tits,” Sivan nods to drag queens and performers, as featured in the music video for the single. Though he’s never been one to shy away from inclusivity, trans icon and drag queen Sasha Colby accompanying other drag queens and performers [shows that] that girl is not one size fits all. Real women protect and celebrate other women, in all forms of womanhood

    The track swells as the beat picks up the pace, accompanied by Charli XCX proclaiming: “She’s the heartbeat bumpin’ in my chest / She’s the best.” Charli, who claimed stardom after the high of Brat Summer, was revealed as the voice at the end in later conversations with Rolling Stones following the single’s release. He explains that Charli is important to him, a muse for the song, and she didn’t want to do the speaking for her– this added detail makes that girl all the more authentic, special, and real.

    In a year where the most talked about book follows a trad-wife influencer, it’s undeniable a culture encouraging subservient women holds a tight grip on societal expectations. Maybe I’m just experiencing the phenomena of watching every high school acquaintance flaunt a shiny diamond ring, but my head can’t help but spin when I watch another woman miss out on her bar crawling, sequined, zebra-printed twenties— because of this, She’s the Best is a breath of fresh air.

  • SHOW REVIEW: LAUNDRY DAY at Ottobar- Baltimore, MD

    Words by Elisabeth Kay

    The extension of LAUNDRY DAY’s Time of Your Life tour was nearing the end of its run as the band played one of their final shows in Baltimore. The February chill still loomed as fans lined up outside Ottobar, with the group camped out at the front evading shivers as they passed out metallic neon party hats to those who joined the line behind them. The show was already promising one big party before the doors opened.

    Once they did, a crowd quickly formed in front of the stage set up in the dimly lit, sticker-covered bar. A playlist that contained a multitude of genres rang out as people joined the crowd, ordered drinks, or bought merch– a few shirts were specially made for this tour stop. Soon enough, New York-based DJ Satchel Shure took the stage. He warmed up the audience by blending nostalgia with modern club classics, with a smile spread across his face. Jude Ciulla-Lipkin, lead singer of LAUNDRY DAY, made a surprise appearance with an arm slung around Satchel’s shoulder. The high energy left me wanting more, making the fifteen-minute wait for the main attraction feel like hours.

    When the lights finally dimmed once more, and the crowd broke into an uproar of screams, I knew this was going to be worth the wait. “R U READY,” the opening track from their sixth album “EARWORM,” blasted through the speakers as the four boys took their designated places on the stage. Fans immediately started jumping along to the beat, not nervous about their energy waning throughout the show, because at a LAUNDRY DAY show, that’s just not possible.

    Though the setlist stays relatively the same throughout the tour, no two shows on the Time of Your Life tour are the same. While extensively celebrating their most recent album, not skipping a song from its dynamic track list, they make sure to show their older releases some love, too. Their most well-known songs, such as “Jane” and “BULLDOG,” continue to capture the hearts of those familiar, and sink into those who are hearing them for the first time. The boys encourage the crowd to pull whoever they came with close during “FRIENDS,” which gained popularity in 2020. Strangers became friends, and friends became closer as they swayed and sang along to the words, “name a time and place, we’ll be fine;” it felt like a sense of hope for the future washed over the small bar. This intimate moment was followed by an acoustic mashup of some of their older releases, including “We Switched Bodies,” which differs from night to night. The party hats didn’t go unnoticed, either; the day before, both guitarists (who coincidentally are both named Henry) shared a birthday. Jude led the crowd in a rendition of “Happy Birthday” dedicated to the pair.

    Along with these surprises, LAUNDRY DAY delivered another surprise to their Baltimore fanbase. Just days before the release of their latest single, “Shut Up I Love You,” those crowded in Ottobar got to hear the full song, live. The stage lights turned a romantic shade of pink as their performance wowed the expectant audience, delivering sappy, heartfelt lyrics over a beat straight out of a rom-com. It was evident this song will be on the playlists of concertgoers throughout the room upon its release. 

    The boys left the crowd hungry for more. Thankfully, the encore quickly followed their departure with “Dancing Queen” soundtracking their entrance. They opened the encore setlist with “Why is Everyone a DJ?” and, ironically, Satchel was right in front of me in the mosh pit. While he danced, he held up an iPhone 5C, which the band used throughout the tour to capture memories both backstage and on stage– just another way the boys tried to connect with fans in their own, unique way.

    LAUNDRY DAY’s social media presence has been integral to both their album rollout and this tour, though this is only one way the band stays in touch and personal with fans. As the band approached the last song of the encore, “SEE YOU IN ANOTHER LIFE,” band and crowd became one. Instead of watching the moshing from the stage, Jude wanted to be part of the action, making his way into the middle of the pit and moshing with fans surrounding him. Though this moment only lasted a few minutes, it left the venue buzzing with energy even when the stage went empty.