ORCA Magazine - Issue #15
June 2024
Hey ORCA fans,
Congratulations on another living another month and welcome back to your favorite music publication that’s written by me! This issue is a bit of an odd one, obviously coming later in the month than usual with a slightly slimmer size. What can I say, it’s a summer edition! Expect a similarly laid-back style for next month too as the attractive heat-rays outside and the full-effect of festival season begin to take hold and steer the ship off-course for just a bit. Because, after all, what is ORCA about if not emphasizing the need to sometimes let life guide you instead of the other way around? Let this be a reminder to you all as well to give yourself that permission occasionally to ease up on the reigns and see what direction you naturally drift in. Who knows, you may find yourself on the life-state equivalent of a beautiful undiscovered island!
This month’s reviews are solely focused on 2 of the most exciting pop releases of late, from none other than Billie Eilish and Charli xcx (including one of them earning ORCA’s first ever 5-star!). While typically ORCA reviews come a bit delayed, with each issue discussing the biggest releases of the month prior, I simply couldn’t help myself with this one. BRAT, the newest release from Charli xcx is not only the talk of the town right now, but so energizing and exciting that I just had to expedite it to this month’s release. The power of pop music!
While the genre is quite literally named for being the most widely appealing and culturally dominant type of music, I find it to be possibly the most exciting and interesting to conceptually dive into. The simple basic concept of “popular” music is alone a quite general statement that over centuries of use has evolved to mean different things depending on the generation. From Classical to Rock, versions of these segmented genres were once considered by the masses to simply be the popular music. Over music’s cultural evolution, certain structures and firmer “rules” to the term began to come into focus, honing down the broad meaning of such a label into creating a very distinct and specific genre.
The Idol (remember the show that featured The Weeknd with a rat-tail and an overly aggressive libido?) really was no great strength of writing, but there is a particular line that has continued to stick with me since it aired. Abel Tesfaye’s (The Weeknd) character is talking with the popstar protagonist (played by Lily-Rose Depp), and he says to her: “Pop music is like the ultimate Trojan Horse. You get people to dance. You get people to sing along. To say whatever you want.” It’s a surprisingly insightful line amidst a swath of horny unfeasible slop that harbors a great deal of truth.
There’s actually a strong argument to be made that pop music, despite it’s “superficiality” and “monotony”, is the most powerful genre of music. Just look at the current culture of “stans” (ESPECIALLY on Twitter or X or whatever). They exist to some extent in every genre, but none are more unified, radicalized, and active in their role than those of popstars (see: Donald Glover’s Swarm). There’s just something about the style - whether it’s the largely positive attitude it contains, addictive and easy-to-recall lyrics, or an emphasis placed on the “persona” of the artist than strictly the art itself - that inspires devotion unlike other music forms. Perhaps it says something deeper about our own human psychology and spirituality; about how we seek the perfect balance between familiarity and originality, between worship and connection, between joy and sadness. Polarizingly different basic human needs can be simultaneously achieved in this genre. But, as an art style that came to its current form through decades of intentional commercial handiwork, the question arises of whether it’s organic or engineered. Do we revel in it because it’s a reflection of us or have we become subconsciously molded by it? And, as with any question this large, does it really matter?
While I may not have any answers to these questions for you, I offer them to you to find your own feelings on the matter. After all, nobody can tell you your own truths except yourself. So, what I can offer you amongst this cosmically mysterious experience we call life is just some of my own thoughts around the music currently dominating our shared conscious. So, have a read through, take a listen to the releases, take what enhances your experience, leave what doesn’t, and let me know what you thought. Enjoy the month, and I’ll catch you all again next time!
