Autumn is coming: the days are getting shorter, the sun is setting faster and everything is darker. With this weather, you probably feel like spending more time at home, but this doesn’t necessarily mean that your days will have to be boring. On the contrary, here is a list of the best things that happened this past week and the most exciting ones to look forward to in order to turn your at home alone time into quality time. Yay! Let's start.
Emily In Paris
From the creators of Sex and the City, Emily In Paris shows us a very romantic Paris through the eyes of a naïve Lily Collins (i.e. Emily), who wears the shoes of a young girl who is offered the opportunity to work for a French marketing firm. Don’t expect anything too original, but be sure that the looks will inspire you (or in my case make you feel bad about your non existing style), the colors will brighten your cloudiest days and perhaps make you in a good mood for some French music.
As far as I have read, it looks like the French are not reacting in the best way to the series – too full of clichés, they say. Anyway, I suggest you judge the series by yourself. While watching the 10 40-minute episodes (exactly, there are 10 episodes only – how sad can that be?) I was well aware of the fact that the series may be reflecting most stereotypes, but this didn’t prevent me from watching the whole series in just 2 days. Oh well, the heart wants what it wants, doesn’t it?
Halsey’s Bonus Tracks for Manic
If you’re reading this, I’m hoping you have read some of my previous articles. And if that is the case, you should know that I am a huge fan of Halsey (if you don’t know then this definitely breaks my heart – but hey! here’s something you can do to make me feel better: go read my article on Badlands now!).
In a new deluxe edition of Manic, Halsey released stripped versions of Without Me, Graveyard (both assumed to be about her relationship with G-Eazy) and many more. Besides the stripped versions, which are anyway worth listening, what is really worth talking about is I’m Not Mad. In a tweet, Halsey herself said that cutting it off might not have been the greatest idea (and no Halsey, I will not forgive you for this).
“I'm not even mad anymore / No, really, I ain't even mad anymore / Yeah, I don't even want you back anymore” is the opening verse of a record in which the soft and nostalgic atmosphere of Colors (from her album Badlands) is reversed with continuous references and opposing lyrics. If you’re looking for a pop banger to vent out all your anger to – or even if you’re just looking for some new songs – I’m Not Mad is what you are looking for.
Shawn Mendes’ Wonder
In this new single, Shawn Mendes gets more intimate by exposing his insecurities and the walls he's built around him. "I wonder if I'm being real / Do I speak my truth or do I filter how I feel?" is sung in a soft (and almost trembling) voice as the choir in the background fades away after leaving us with a beginning sense of amaze and astound.
"I wonder, when I cry into my hands / I'm conditioned to feel like it makes me less of a man" reflects Shawn's perspective that a man should be tough and mighty even though suffering inside. In an interview, he revealed that this particular aspect was starting to damage his relationship with Camila Cabello, pushing him to change his behavior,
The song itself seems to reflect this journey. Shawn's initial introversion is evident in the beginning trembling voice accompanied by a beat whose rhythm is scanned by a pounding heart: all signs of an uncontrolled - but yet hidden - excitement for someone. But just before the chorus starts, something changes: Shawn's voice becomes bolder as he sings "I wonder what it's like to be loved by...", while the initial heartbeats are not isolated anymore, but they are rather part and parcel of the underlying beat, maybe hinting at a newly reached equilibrium.
I'm not kidding when I say that the first time I listened to this song I felt like Peter Pan was taking me to Neverland. This song literally feels like a fictional journey, and you should definitely experience it.
New poetry books on the way
If you’re obsessed with poetry like me, November is the month to look forward to - and if you’re not obsessed with poetry, it’s time to discover something new. I’m not talking about traditional poetry (even though I’ve definitely dreamed of marrying Rimbaud), but rather modern one. In a month where we’re all covered up in our blankets while drinking the hottest tea as the rain drops on our windows, poetry comes to us as the best nostalgic companion we could ask for.
Lana del Rey’s Violet Bent Backwards over the Grass (released in September) was just the starter of a songwriter-signed type of poetry banquette - and you can bet I am hungry. In a few weeks, Florence Welch (yes, Florence from Florence and The Machine) will release a new edition of Useless Magic, integrated with brand new poems and drawings. Halsey is also publishing her first poetry book I Would Leave Me If I Could, and if you have followed Halsey since her Tumblr days, you already know that she is that good at writing (her speech at the Women’s March is also worth watching).
And last but definitely not least, Rupi Kaur is set to publish her long awaited third collection: Homebody.
So that's it folks, I'm done for now. I'm hoping these things will make your cloudy days a little warmer and your comfy days a bit more cozy. If so, I did my job. If not - who am I kidding? Of course I did my job.
xxx
LG
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