The Arts Desk’s weekly picks for music, movies and more
By SAVANNAH ANNO and ALYSSA CREVOISERAT — arts@theaggie.org
Song: “Orlando in Love” by Japanese Breakfast (2025)
Savannah: Released just a few weeks ago on Jan. 7, Japanese Breakfast makes a triumphant return with “Orlando in Love,” along with the announcement of their upcoming album, “For Melancholy Brunettes (& sad women).” While front-woman Michelle Zauner’s voice remains as bright and addictive as ever, the band’s new track hints at a slower, more delicate sound for the new record — a direct contrast to their last hit album, “Jubilee,” full of upbeat synth and punchy instrumentals. “Orlando in Love,” is short but sweet, with soft strings that reflect the lyrics’ tale: a lonely traveler at sea falling into the dreamy trap of a siren’s call. While the song lacks a true chorus, the third verse has been continuously stuck in my head since its release, with Zauner’s voice peaking as the strings pick up right along with her. Paired with a beautifully detailed music video, Japanese Breakfast has set the perfect stage for their newest era which, as a fairly melancholy brunette myself, I will happily embrace.
Alyssa: I am also a sad brunette.
TV Show: “Derry Girls” by Lisa McGee (2018-2022)
Alyssa: As an avid sitcom enjoyer — my senior year superlative was, unfortunately, Most Dedicated Binge Watcher — I am constantly searching for the next TV show to take over my life. Having watched my fair share of sitcoms, “Derry Girls” still has to be one of the most entertaining series I’ve ever had the pleasure of watching. With character decisions that make me audibly and visibly cringe, witty dialogue and, most importantly, funny Irish accents, this show’s runtime is three seasons of sitcom perfection.
“Derry Girls” follows the lives of five teenagers — four girls and one English boy — growing up in Londonderry, Ireland in the 1990s, a period of political conflict known as the Troubles that left Northern Ireland in a military stalemate and tense dynamic between catholics and protestants. Throughout the series, viewers are able to see loveable characters grow into young adults amidst the conflict in a coming-of-age, episodic format where every 20-minute episode is a new adventure. With performances by Nicola Coughlan (Clare Devlin) from Netflix’s “Bridgerton” and Saoirse-Monica Jackson (Erin Quinn), to name a few, this show is sure to scratch the sitcom itch and provide a funny, heartwarming and inspiring tale — I promise, you will be genuinely begging for a reboot at the end of the show and typing something new into your search bar: “How to channel your inner ‘Derry Girl.’”
Savannah: Why is this two paragraphs…? The show must be good.
Book: “The Will of the Many” by James Islington (2023)
Savannah: What I feel is a gift to the now-adult kids who were obsessed with Greek and Roman mythology in middle school, “The Will of the Many” is the first installment of James Islington’s newest series, “The Hierarchy.” Set in the Republic of Caten — a fictional society with cultural parallels to the Roman Empire — the fantasy book follows Vis, a young orphan hiding a real name that could lead to his immediate demise. As with any great fantasy work, Islington sets up a magic system all his own, one where an individual’s power and class level is determined by how much “will” they receive from the people positioned below them, collected by an ancient technology and special stone devices called “sappers.”
Beginning the novel as a prison guard, Vis’ world changes when he encounters one of the Republic’s most powerful senators, who proposes to adopt Vis and mold him into a perfect student for Caten’s most elite academy. Tasked with an impossible mission to uncover the secrets of the school and surrounding island, Vis risks everything for a chance at permanent freedom. Considering I caught a girl on the J-line engrossed in the exact same book, it wasn’t just me who enjoyed Islington’s level of detail and jaw-dropping twists and turns in this new dissection of colonial empires.
Alyssa: Am I offended that I’m not the one with the fantasy recommendation? Yes.
Album: “First Two Pages of Frankenstein” by The National (2023)
Alyssa: The National’s ninth studio album “First Two Pages of Frankenstein” is an introspective 11-track run that tackles themes of performance, depression and loneliness. With tracks like “Your Mind Is Not Your Friend,” the band’s lead singer, Matt Berninger, discusses the concept of generational mental health struggles and depression’s repetitive and inescapable hold. A gentle piano backing, soothing vocals and soft guitar make up the ballads of the album and are a constant accompaniment on my Spotify playlists.
Notably, and my personal favorite, “Tropic Morning News” details the difficulties of self-expression and the anxiety of communication — “Got up to seize the day / With my head in my hands feeling strange / When all my thinking got mangled / And I caught myself talking myself off the ceiling.” Sonically different from the album’s ballads, the track features drums and bass but maintains Berninger’s deep, raspy vocal style for an overall captivating and self-reflective song. In the same vein, “Alien” and “Once Upon a Poolside” are equally introspective and will leave you staring at the ceiling for hours. For lovers of lyrically captivating music and fans of Phoebe Bridgers, Taylor Swift and Sufjan Stevens, look no further than The National’s picture-perfect look into a suffering mind.
Savannah: I listened to “The Alcott” so much when it was released that now it gives me immediate flashbacks to last winter quarter. Scary times.
Written by: Savannah Anno and Alyssa Crevoiserat — arts@theaggie.org
