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Euronews
27-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Euronews
What are the best albums of 2025 so far?
We're past the halfway mark of 2025, and we're taking a break from listening to Doechii's 'Anxiety' on repeat and chanting along to Lady Gaga's 'Abracadabra' like it's an incantation for the start of a dancefloor-set pagan ceremony to take a look back at the music highlights that have captured our ears (and hearts) this year. There's been so much to enjoy, from French pop discoveries to UK hip-hop mastery via panic attack inducing hyper-electro-punk... So whittling our list down to 15 entries hasn't been easy. Still, we did our best. Without further ado, here is our countdown to the best album of the year so far. 15) Doves - Constellations For The Lonely Celebrating 25 years since the release of your first album can be a tricky thing, as British indie rockers Doves know all too well. Released a quarter of a century since 2000's 'Lost Souls', 'Constellations For The Lonely' is a darker effort compared to the band's previous offerings, reflecting not only the volatile (and frequently horrible) times we live in, but also strife that befell the trio. Singer/bassist Jimi Goodwin sought treatment for mental health and substance abuse issues following 2020's 'The Universal Want', and is still off their touring roster. Still, the band prevails, as their sixth album is a claustrophobic yet emotionally rich listen, which packs a punch and shows that no matter the hardship, there's beauty in survival. DM 14) Bartees Strange - Horror For his third album after the indie rock goodness of his breakout 'Live Forever' and the more experimental pop sounds of 'Farm To Table', British-American artist Bartees Strange has chosen to explore the concept of fear. Quite apt considering its title, but 'Horror' isn't the bleak odyssey it could've been. Instead, Strange weaves between genres – the up-tempo 'Wants/Needs' makes way for some funky hip-hop in 'Hit It Quit It', gentler folk with 'Baltimore' and some anthemic rock in 'Backseat Banton' - to better explore the things that overwhelm and oppress us in daily life. Bolstered by Jack Antonoff's polished production, 'Horror' is a terrific blend of different sounds that somehow coalesce into one potent whole. DM 13) HAIM - I Quit In 'I Quit', HAIM are all about healing and leaving. As the album opener 'Gone' announces: 'I'll do whatever I want / I'll see who I wanna see / I'll fuck off whenever I want / I'll be whatever I need.' From sensual album standout 'Relationships' to the mellow catharsis of 'Down To Be Wrong', sisters Danielle, Este and Alana deliver their signature smart melodies to embrace empowerment. Even if some of the lyrics can come off as a bit thin when it comes to the complexities of heartbreak and breakups, they manage to create a cohesive ode to being unbound. 'I Quit' may not have the immediacy of their debut 'Days Are Gone' (still their best to date) or boast the richness of arrangements heard on their previous album 'Women in Music Pt. III', but it remains a compelling LP about fresh starts. DM 12) Oklou - Choke Enough French artist Marylou Mayniel, aka: Oklou, released her first full-length record this year, following the waves she made five years ago with her 'Galore' mixtape. Merging dreamlike trance with Y2K nostalgia and a healthy appreciation for Enya, Oklou signs an immersive collection of textured and polyphonic ambient pop that feels at odds with the more direct dancefloor bangers dominating the airwaves. From opener 'Endless' to singles 'Blade Bird', 'Take Me By The Hand' (featuring Swedish rapper Bladee) and album standout 'ict', this intimate set shows you don't need brash urgency to be anthemic. DM 11) Swans - Birthing Swans return with 'Birthing', a nearly two-hour experimental, post-rock odyssey that ranks among the most expansive and immersive works in their decades-long career - a record that feels both apocalyptic and spiritually transcendent. Lead singer Michael Gira still bellows like a man possessed, anchoring tracks that often drift from ambient murmur to towering, at times overwhelming noise. The 22-minute long title track 'Birthing' encapsulates this dynamic perfectly: it begins with shimmering, celestial synths before eventually building to a seismic collapse of percussive fury and shrieking guitar. The album is intense. It's long. It's certainly not for everyone. But for those patient enough and willing to submit, it's near-religious in its power. TF 10) aya - hexed! UK artist aya's sophomore album is a tough one to recommend outright as it's the musical equivalent of a panic attack. All you need to do is cast your eyes on the album cover, featuring earthworms writhing about in her mouth, and you have some idea of the unrelenting sensory overload that awaits you. The experimental tracks howl, corrode, clang and suffocate, grabbing you by the throat and refusing to loosen their noise-dance grip. It may not sound like a particularly pleasant listening experience, but behind abrasive first impressions are enticing themes of addiction and identity that make 'hexed!' a confident album worth your time. Even with six more months to go in 2025, you'll have a hard time finding a stranger and more unique album this year. DM 9) Ichiko Aoba - Luminescent Creatures With 'Luminescent Creatures', Ichiko Aoba invites listeners into a sonic fairy tale - a delicate dreamscape woven from angelic vocals, enchanting orchestral melodies, and the soft whispers of nature. Here, the 35-year-old Japanese singer-songwriter continues to refine her signature sound - one that would feel perfectly at home in a Studio Ghibli film. Inspired by the glowing sea life she discovered while diving in Japan's Ryukyu Islands, her eighth studio album explores the border between life and death, light and darkness. And in a time of relentless noise and global unrest, this project offers a gentle, much-needed escape from the chaos. TF 8) Kali Uchis - Sincerely This is the third year in a row that prolific Columbian-American songwriter Kali Uchis makes our Best Of lists, following 2023's glorious 'Red Moon In Venus' and last year's 'Orquídeas'. And for good reason: she doesn't stop flooring us. This year, she delivered an album inspired not only by the death of her mother, but also by the birth of her first child. According to Uchis, 'Sincerely' is about trying to "find joy in life despite the world" and appreciating "every moment and not take life for granted." Sounds ambitious, but she makes it work. Led by singles 'Sunshine & Rain...' and 'All I Can Say', this neo-soul-pop album deals with love, loss, insecurities and rebirth, all with the reminder of the transient nature of both the good and bad. And even if we're used to having Uchis around, we're still not taking her for granted. Neither should you. DM 7) FKA twigs - Eusexua If Charli XCX's 'Brat' was a wild, cocaine-fueled hyperpop dance party, FKA twigs' 'Eusexua' is its darker, more experimental, and sensual counterpart. Returning three years after 'Caprisongs', twigs plunges her listeners into the shadowy underworld of rave culture. Built with Koreless's innovative production, the album conjures early-2000s dance floors via trance, UKG, drum and bass, IDM, and trip hop - all bound by twigs' ethereal voice, a commanding force of nature. Echoes of Björk, Kate Bush, and Aphex Twin swirl into something unmistakably hers: sensual, cerebral, and otherworldly. At an easily digestible 42 minutes, 'Eusexua' reasserts FKA twigs' status as one of contemporary music's most innovative and exciting talents. TF 6) Bad Bunny - DeBÍ TiRAR MáS FOToS Following up the wildly successful 'Un Verano Sin Ti', 'DeBÍ TiRAR MáS FOToS' is Bad Bunny's most ambitious project to date - a sprawling, vibrant tribute to Puerto Rican musical heritage. While still rooted in the modern reggaetón which made the 31-year-old artist a global superstar, the album pushes far beyond expectations, weaving in salsa horns, bolero melodies, and the layered rhythms of traditional plena. Nowhere is this fusion more thrilling than on 'BAILE INoLVIDABLE', which opens with sleek modern synths before bursting into full-blown live salsa. 'DtMF', a late-album standout, also exemplifies the record's spirit - closing with laughter and group vocals. It's an instant summer essential - joyous, infectious, and made to be played very loud. TF 5) Pulp - More Out in time for the 30th anniversary of their most celebrated album, 1995's 'Different Class', the reluctant figureheads of Britpop are back after a 24-year absence. While 'More' doesn't reinvent the wheel and won't necessarily convert those who aren't already fans of Jarvis Cocker and his merry lot, this terrific comeback is one worth treasuring. Groovy, anthemic, boasting stunning strings and delving into themes of aging and self-delusion, Pulp deliver an LP that is everything you'd want a Pulp album to be. More than that, it surpasses expectations, showing that even now they're all fully grown, they're still in a class of their own. Hopefully we won't have to wait another quarter of a century for more. DM 4) Jane Remover - Revengeseekerz At the tender age of 21, Jane Remover has already made a name for themselves as a producer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and rapper with a canny habit of genre hopping. To the extent their previous album, 2023's 'Census Designated', was a noise pop-rock album that sounds like it was made by a completely different artist. For 'Revengeseekerz', Remover has plunged headfirst into an explosive blend of rap, emo, digicore and even EDM spliced with glitchy video-game sounds – all with potent pop hooks. If that sounds whiplash inducing, that's because it is. But it's a bold, at times overwhelmingly anarchic, and completely addictive soundtrack to a really wild night out. To use the parlance of our times: it slaps. Hard. DM 3) Annahstasia - Tether Los-Angeles singer-songwriter Annahstasia stepped into the music industry at 17, quickly encountering executives eager to steer her away from the folk music she truly wanted to make. Now 30, after years of navigating that pressure, she's released her long-awaited debut album, 'Tether'. The result is a raw, beautiful and deeply captivating project, carried by her mesmerising voice - which evokes the soul of Nina Simone and Tracy Chapman. Across 11 stunning tracks, she offers candid reflections on love, desire, identity and self-doubt, over gorgeously minimalist and elegant instrumentals. Highlights include 'Villain', a powerful anthem of breaking free from toxicity, and 'Slow', a tender duet with Nigerian artist Obongjayar that stands out as one of the album's most touching moments. TF 2) Little Simz - Lotus On 'Lotus', her sixth album, Little Simz turns legal turmoil and personal fallout into creative firepower. After parting ways with longtime collaborator and childhood friend Inflo due to a bitter legal dispute, she teams up with producer Miles Clinton James to create a record that glides across moods and genres with ease. There's the venom-laced opener 'Thief', aimed squarely at Inflo; the afro-funk swagger of 'Lion'; and the breezy bossa nova of 'Only'. Guest appearances from Sampha, Wretch 32, Yussef Dayes and Michael Kiwanuka add colour to the palette, but the spotlight is never taken from Simz. It's a statement album - and a reminder that she's in a league of her own. TF 1) Kelela - In The Blue Light Two years ago, American singer-songwriter Kelela released 'Raven', one of our favourite albums of 2023. It was an ambient dance record that transported the listener back to the 90s club scene and enveloped them in an intoxicating set of songs. Two years later comes 'In The Blue Light', a live recording from two gigs Kelela held at the legendary Blue Note Jazz Club in New York. And the mood is very different this time. It jettisons the electronics, strips her songs back and reappropriates them with a soft and soulful ambience befitting the location. As for Kelela's vocal performance here, the jazz club suits her well, as her celestial delivery will send tingles to every one of your happy places. An absolute triumph of an album. DM There we have it. What did we miss and what were your music highlights of the year? In case you think we've lost our minds, here are some of our honorable mentions, which nearly made the cut: Japanese Breakfast - 'For Melancholy Brunettes'; Ethel Cain – 'Perverts'; Bon Iver - 'SABLE, fABLE'; Mogwai - 'The Bad Fire'; Lambrini Girls - 'Who Let The Dogs Out'; Sharon Van Etten & The Attachment Theory - 'Sharon Van Etten & The Attachment Theory'; Julien Baker and Torres - 'Send A Prayer My Way'; The Mars Volta - 'Lucro Sucio; Los Ojos Del Vacio'. We're already looking ahead to the next half of the year, with a new EP from the ever-wonderful Nilüfer Yanya, a new LP from the legendary Cate Le Bon and The Divine Comedy's 13th studio album. Without forgetting the eagerly anticipated second album from Wet Leg, the sooner-than-expected (and already controversy-courting) new album from Sabrina Carpenter, and the return of Wolf Alice. Stay tuned to Euronews Culture to find out how many of our halfway mark picks make it to the End of Year Best Albums list. And make sure to check out our Best Movies of 2025 So Far ranking next week. Happy listening!
The Guardian
20-06-2025
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
‘I've never been so obsessed with a band': readers' best albums of 2025 so far
Constellations for the Lonely is a fabulous return for Doves: textured, layered and, as ever, occupying a space and sound all their own. From the futuristic reflection of Renegade to the soulful Cold Dreaming to the thought provoking A Drop in the Ocean, and the devastating realisation of loss in Last Year's Man ... This is a band confronting the past, to channel hope and find redemption by coming through challenges that can only be overcome through genuine friendship. Steven, Wolverhampton This is a timely release, coming mere months after the abhorrent anti-Puerto Rican 'floating island of garbage' comments by Tony Hinchcliffe at a Trump rally. Bad Bunny's response at the time was fierce, rebuking all that was Trump, Republican, bigoted, and his first music since feels like a follow-up. In DTMF, Bunny refuses to cede space or stand down. Either from his position as a mainstay of the US mainstream music world or as a proud Puerto Rican. He crafts an album of one summer anthem after another, built to be listened to by everyone while unmistakably a product of the music of his home. Alex, Belfast Justin Vernon is finally happy! And he sounds perhaps more enchanting as a man embracing joy as he did as a lone wanderer in the wintery woodlands of Wisconsin. The album opens on familiar ground with the Sable tracks, and these build beautifully until we reach Fable and Vernon exclaims: 'January ain't the whole world'. From there on the album is a gorgeous celebration of accepting love and happiness through some incredibly vibey and experimental songs in the Bon Iver signature. If Only I Could Wait, with Danielle Haim is a standout, alongside Walk Home, and the slow submergence into steady love through the album closers There's a Rhythm and Au Revoir is simply perfect. Pulkit, Manchester I'm convinced there's a parallel universe somewhere in which guitar-and-drums-driven rock music still has mass mainstream appeal and Vukovi would deservedly be among the UK's biggest music stars. On this, their fourth album, the pop-metal leans towards the heavier side, and lyrically perhaps nothing sums up these songs' exploration of mental health struggles and self-doubt better than opening track This is My Life and My Trauma. But the melodies are strong and front woman Janine Shilstone's vocals are as fiercely defiant yet beautiful as ever, underpinned perfectly by energetic riffs and tight rhythmical playing from guitarist Hamish Reilly and drummer Martin Sharples-Johnston. John K, Birmingham 5ive by Davido gives me a new sense of hope and purpose. It helps me get on with my daily activities and to unwind in my free time. As a mum who's constantly busy caring for a newborn baby, I find listening helps me with my mental health and encourages me to enjoy life and live life to the fullest. The rhetoric in the album is out of this world. Paola Adeitan, Marlborough, Wiltshire It's such a great commentary on modern times, with real lyrical depth added to a sort of doom-pop atmosphere. I stumbled upon them by chance and saw them at a tiny venue in the Netherlands – they're as great live as they are on their records. I can't comprehend how they're not world famous. Klavdija, Brussels, Belgium I hadn't discovered the band before this album so it was an absolute treat to work through their back catalogue. I love the textures and layers of the music on this album. It's the perfect soundtrack to my evening walks in my local woods. There is a depth to the music that is spiritual and anything that moves me like this gets my attention. The opening track Waiting has a choral feel. It's sparse yet such a complete sound with beautiful vocals. It's not an upbeat album – far from it – but I find it incredibly uplifting. The production throughout is sublime. Ed Olhausen, High Wycombe Absolutely every song on the album is worth a listen and suits an occasion in the day. Praying for Your Downfall and Massachusetts are cathartic for different reasons, while Let Me Be Wrong and I Don't Do Drugs are cheeky and honest. Overall, the album is so human – it touches many emotional experiences with compassion and clarity, and shows off the very best of musical commitment to songwriting, vocals, composition, guitar and production. Alice, Cambridge A perfect storm of everything Sleep Token does best but distilled and sharpened. It's not a concept album, but feels like one. The lyrics have never been more deific but Vessel has never sounded more human. An incredible follow-up to a near-perfect album. I've never been as obsessed with a band as I am with Sleep Token. Ed, Southampton As a young gay man, Marina (FKA Marina and the Diamonds) was the soundtrack to my teenage years. I adored her cult classic Electra Heart album and remember when she was the undisputed queen of Tumblr. She continued putting out great music, including her previous album, the fantastic and pleasingly political Ancient Dreams in a Modern Land. But now, riding a wave of 2010s nostalgia, Marina is back in the charts and at the top of her game. The whole album is delightfully camp and jam packed with Eurodisco-esque gay club bangers. I predict that, just as with Charli, Marina is heading for a comeback. Oliver, Manchester It's a gorgeous slice of folk-pop that's swimming with gentle, lovely tunes. World's Worst Girlfriend is a great way in; Richardson, which features the warm tones of Cassandra Jenkins, has set up semi-permanent residence in my head. Tom Evershed, Melbourne, Australia Time Indefinite is a powerful record and seemed to arrive at exactly the right time for me. Tyler finds and collects sounds, ranging from lo-fi and scratchy to pastoral and lush. Individually, they seem dissolute or even anxiety inducing, but by weaving in his own looping guitar it all builds towards something approaching harmony – or beauty. A bridge over troubled waters. Ed Yates, Knaresborough It's a grand return to form with the standout tracks for me the Stone Roses-esque titled Elephant Clouds and the bullet train inspired, anthemic Hold It Down. But the whole LP (I continue to buy black gold from my local store) is a superb sonic renaissance that can match that of their Cool Britannia peers Pulp. Give it a spin, it's equally chilled and funky, a perfect way to 'escape the chaos'. Rudi Richter, Nuremberg, Germany Sharon Van Etten's work has always been emotionally cathartic, both for her and for us listeners; but I've always felt, much as I've always enjoyed her previous work, that something was being held back; but no more. Working with her new band and collaborators, the Attachment Theory, she has finally been fully let loose as a singer and communicator, and the results are staggering, moving, uplifting and devastating by turns. Her shows in the spring brought the new record vividly to life, and breathed new vital life into her existing material. Clearly these are the collaborators that she has always needed, and this record will undoubtedly be reckoned as one of the finest releases this year, as it would be in any year. Luke Dixon, London
Washington Post
18-06-2025
- Politics
- Washington Post
Why Israel would benefit from defeating Iran on its own
The question of the hour in Washington is whether the United States should join Israel's aerial assault on Iran's nuclear program. Hawks say American participation would help neuter the threat from a U.S. adversary and bolster deterrence. Doves say the United States risks expending precious munitions and getting bogged down in the Middle East.
BBC News
29-05-2025
- Entertainment
- BBC News
Wychwood Festival 2025: What you need to know
The Wychwood Festival is returning to Cheltenham Racecourse this weekend as the summer of live music gets under way across the music and comedy event will take place from 30 May to 1 of people are expected to attend the festival's 20th year to see acts like Shed Seven, James and Doves perform. We've compiled a list of everything you need to know ahead of the festival. What's on? As well as the headline acts, pop-rock trio Scouting for Girls will be playing the main stage on Friday. Daniel Bedingfield and Fisherman's Friends will also perform on Friday and Sunday, respectively. For comedy fans, the line-up which includes Bridget Christie, Lost Voice Guy and Steve Royle. Fitness coach Joe Wicks will also be appearing on the main stage to lead a workout on Saturday morning. Where can I buy tickets? The festival offers a range of ticket options to suit everyone via its website. A tiered system is in place, meaning the earlier people buy, the less they will pay. The last remaining tickets for Saturday are on sale and tickets for Friday, Sunday and the Weekend are running low. Tickets will be issued electronically and sent out ahead of the have been told to either print their tickets or download them onto their phones so they can be scanned when they arrive at the site. How do I get there? Festival organisers are encouraging people to use public transport to reach the racecourse. Cheltenham Spa is the closest train station, with direct services to and from London Paddington, Bristol, Birmingham, Swindon, Cardiff, Plymouth, Manchester, Leeds, Edinburgh and run regularly from the town centre, the bus station and the railway station to the racecourse. Stagecoach is one of the main operators in the Express coaches to Cheltenham arrive at the Royal Well Road Bus Station, which is about two miles (3.21km) away from the festival site. Drivers have been encouraged to car share where possible to reduce goers travelling by campervan must arrive at a separate entrance on Southam Lane. They must also hold a valid weekend with camping Saver ticket holders will need to arrive via the Evesham Road entrance. What should I bring? Festival goers must have their tickets ready for scanning when they arrive. The event is cashless, so all attendees must bring payment cards for food and drink and merchandise. ID cards, such as passports, driving licenses, Validate UK or Citizen Cards are accepted. What time does it start? The festival begins on Friday, with the box office and campsite open from 09:30 BST. The Festival Village will open at noon and performances will begin shortly customers can arrive from 09:30 BST every day. Those who are not camping can arrive from 12:00 on Friday and 09:30 on Saturday and Sunday.
The Age
01-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The Age
Cole Haden is the queer indie frontman of your dreams
Cole Haden is singing to me. His band Model/Actriz are playing at a Manhattan venue called Night Club 101, and he's on the dance floor, prowling amongst the crowd, and now he's maybe a metre away from me, eyeballing me seductively while singing Doves, a spiky ballad from the band's new album, Pirouette. I'm simultaneously thrilled and mortified – the louche, flamboyant Haden is wildly charismatic, but this kind of attention makes me squirm. Luckily for me, I'm not his only target. Intense crowd interaction is a staple of a Model/Actriz live set, and he soon moves on to serenade others in the audience. Unlike me, they're clearly delighted to have their moment. When I meet Haden for coffee in Brooklyn a few days later, he recognises me from the gig. 'Were you there with that man next to you?' he asks. 'No, he was cute though,' I respond. Haden agrees. 'I was hoping you were a couple and that I was breaking you up,' he says impishly. 'I was flirting with you both.' The characteristically sweaty, raucous gig was a small one-off show ahead of Model/Actriz's biggest tour yet, with at least 32 dates booked across the US and Europe until September. The band formed in Boston in 2016 after drummer Ruben Radlauer and guitarist Jack Wetmore saw Haden, a fellow student at the Berklee College of Music, perform. After watching him 'writhing on the floor in a corset, fake blood dripping down his face,' they immediately asked him to join their band. In 2019, bassist Aaron Shapiro completed the four-piece. Two years after the triumphant tour of their acclaimed debut Dogsbody, comes Model/Actriz's second album, Pirouette. The music within remains compellingly abrasive: tense, menacing noise rock full of scuzzy, distorted guitars and mercurial percussion, while Haden's voice ranges from a sultry murmur to an operatic soprano to a guttural growl. Lyrically, Pirouette finds Haden moving away from the myth and metaphor he favoured on Dogsbody and exposing more of his own vulnerabilities. The grungy Diva begins as a boast about Haden's sexual conquests in Europe, but really, he's 'looking for something more/ A home to take you home to.' There are sweet odes to his sisters (Baton) and grandmother (Acid Rain), while on standout lead single Cinderella, he reminisces about his five-year-old, unrealised desire to have a Cinderella birthday party. 'And when the moment came, and I changed my mind/ I was quiet, alone, and devastated,' he moans (in the song's transgressive music video, he finally gets to act out his dream). A 90-second spoken-word interlude called Headlights is about a high school crush on a friend of a friend. 'Over time I started hating him, or I started hating myself/ But I hated most how I'd pray each night/ Asking God to make him see me in all the ways I couldn't,' Haden sings. 'The process of finishing Dogsbody felt like a new dawn,' Haden says. 'I had a chip on my shoulder then, and I was really bitter about my love life, and I was angry about a lot of the sadness that I carried with me from childhood.' 'Lady Gaga put out Bad Romance and I started figuring it out – yeah, I'm gay!' Haden is gentler with himself now, and on Pirouette, he's more able to make peace with the pains of his past. 'I really wanted to speak to my inner child, that was the mission statement,' he says. 'I wish I could have heard my future self speaking to my younger self as a child, and I appreciate the ways our music can help people see themselves, especially people who might feel lonely.' Haden says he didn't have any deep friendships until he was around 14. 'Before that, I was a very lonely kid and I didn't really know how to help myself,' he says. 'And then Lady Gaga put out Bad Romance and I started figuring it out – yeah, I'm gay!' Gaga was a formative influence on Haden. 'Like Germanotta, Stefani/ Pull the weight from under me,' he sings on Dogsbody 's Crossing Guard, referencing both Gaga (born Stefani Germanotta) and Gwen Stefani. On Pirouette, Haden channels Gaga and fellow divas like Britney Spears, Mariah Carey, Janet Jackson and Kylie Minogue, infusing the heavy riffs and anxious beats with a dance-pop spirit that's especially evident in the live shows. 'What I love about [Minogue] so much is that she doesn't really carry a lot of baggage in her music,' he says, naming Aphrodite as his favourite Kylie album and her 1988 gem Turn It Into Love as one of his favourite songs. 'I think she represents what an unabashedly fearless pop song should sound like,' he says. Legendary performance artist Marina Abramović is another, less obvious influence on Haden's stage presence. In high school, he travelled to New York with a friend to take part in her project, The Embrace. 'I hugged Marina for about two minutes and I cried,' he says. Another of Abramović's projects, The Artist is Present, was composed of prolonged staring contests. 'Marina showed me that eye contact doesn't have to be scary,' he says, as I'm reminded of his intense gaze the other night. 'It's more multitudinous.' When I tell my friends, big fans of Model/Actriz, that I found the show hectic – in a good way – they tell me it was tame compared to other gigs, where they would go home with bruises from all the moshing and slamming their bodies into other crowd members. For the band, the shows are even more taxing. 'Jack was limping at the end of our last European tour,' says Haden. 'He was banging his guitar into his hip so much there was a bruise all down his leg, and he couldn't walk.' After screaming into the microphone for nights on end, Haden was often left with bleeding vocal cords. 'My throat will bleed again, probably,' he says with a laugh and a shrug. Outwardly queer frontmen are not the norm amongst noise rock bands. Possibly for this reason, people would often come up to Haden on the Dogsbody tour and ask if he was really gay. 'I was like, 'Am I really standing here right now?'' he says. 'I thought, ok, it needs to be even clearer on this album because I don't want there to be any question about it [his gayness]. I want someone who needs someone like me to listen to, to have no question that I'm there for that.' Loading Haden's angsty confessions often inspire messages from fans who have experienced or are going through similar turmoil, who then get to thrash out their demons at the live shows. 'When we're playing a gig, it's like we're hosts to a party and I want those people to be able to come there and feel liberated from [their worries] and feel welcome in celebrating who they are,' says Haden. 'Being gay and queer is painful, especially romantically and especially in this climate in America – and everywhere. But I think we have to fight to make the world around us reflect the one we want to see outside of that.'
