No preliminaries today; let’s just jump in.
Roundup
Music
With the most interesting new album last week being by ’00s indie act Death Cab for Cutie, the week was all about the singles. This was led by the new Taylor Swift single, “I Knew It I Knew You,” from the soundtrack of Toy Story 5. After the polarizing nature of The Life of a Showgirl, it was nice to see the reaction to this single be almost entirely positive, and a return to form in terms of Swift’s characteristically specific songwriting. That said, Disney soundtrack doesn’t exactly scream ‘cutting edge’, so I do wonder if it’s another step away for her from the musical centre.
I expected this week to be all about Olivia Rodrigo (see below for my thoughts on that), but was surprised that it was actually a pretty full week for new releases. I was really impressed by BIG MODERN! by Goose, and Girls Like Girls the Album by Hayley Kiyoko. And while dance music isn’t really my thing, if you’re into that genre, you could do far worse than Bebe Rexha’s new album, DIRTY BLONDE.
Albums
- Dinner Party (Niall Horan)
- BITCH (Lizzo)
- I Built You a Tower (Death Cab for Cutie)
- You See (Malcolm Todd)
- you seem pretty sad for a girl so in love (Olivia Rodrigo)
- BIG MODERN! (Goose)
- Girls Like Girls, the Album (Haley Kiyoko)
Songs
- “I Knew It I Knew You” (Taylor Swift)
- “Perfect 10” (The Beaches)
- “Cowgirl” (Shaboozey)
- “stupid song” (Olivia Rodrigo)
- “purple” (Olivia Rodrigo)
- “des fleurs x stromae” (Tovo Lo)
- “Vending Machine” (Valley)
- “Savenger” (Goose)
Reading
I seem to slowly be emerging from my reading slump, though I think I may just be entering into a different season in life, in which reading plays a slightly smaller role. Here are the highlights from the past two weeks:
- Timecode of a Face (Ruth Ozeki, 2022) – nonfiction
- Days of Bluegrass Love (Edward van de Vendel, 1999, transl 2022)
- Life Class (Pat Barker, 2007)
- Father Material (Alexis Hall, 2026)
- The Typing Lady (Ruth Ozeki, 2026)
- 52 Ways to Reconcile (David A. Robertson, 2025)
- Motherclown (Harriet Alida Lye, 2026)
Focus on: Initial Thoughts on you seem pretty sad for a girl so in love
I’ve been very open about my disappointment in the year’s new music, and especially the lack of exciting new music from younger artists. The main bright spot on the horizon the past couple months has been the prospect of Olivia Rodrigo’s new album, especially when the two pre-release singles, “Drop dead” and “The cure,” both made a huge splash. Well, the album dropped yesterday, so did it live up to expectations?
I am so thrilled to say that yes, it did! I don’t like to throw around the word “masterpiece” lightly, but I think this is absolutely a masterpiece. It’s a rare no-skip album for me, that tells a cohesive, heart-breaking story, and pairs Rodrigo’s trademark insightful, witty, and whip-smart song-writing with infectious ’80s pop production. (The production deserves particular recognition here, because the songs run the gamut of generically ’80s sounds without ever feeling like a pastiche and still feeling very fresh and new.)
Aside from the two pre-release singles, early highlights for me are the fun “stupid song” and “u + me = <3,” and the devastating “purple” and “less.” But really the whole thing is amazing. It’s just the shot in the arm that 2026 music needed.
Matthew Root 