Elliott Dunstan

Chaos Queer Cooking: My First Tries At Filipino Food

April 1st, 2025
I love trying out different styles of cooking and different cuisines — and I really mean from all over. One night I’ll be making Louisiana gumbo, and the next I’ll be making maple brisket; one of my go-to dishes is a Chinese braised-beef stew, and I’d be lost without metemgee (saltfish and root vegetable stew, from Guyana). One cuisine I’ve been just dipping my toes into is Filipino food; and I’ve been having a great time.

Of course, due to limits with budget and my own tastes, I rarely make a dish exactly as written — or if I do, it’s once. But here’s some of the dishes I’ve made so far, and notes on what I’ve messed around with and how it’s worked out.
1. Filipino Spaghetti
It’s worth noting that I am not a pasta guy. I like noodles; but try as I might, I genuinely am incredibly ‘meh’ on most Italian food, with the exception of a good gnocchi. So one night, I decided to try this out, figuring it’d be another ‘well… pasta is… sure pasta!’ and was delighted to find out I was wrong.

The base recipe I used is here: https://www.kawalingpinoy.com/filipino-style-spaghetti/. Kawaling Pinoy is one of the two sites I’ve been using a lot, and I love their recipes. The main things I changed here is that I’ve either used ground beef or hotdogs, not both (I’m sparing with my meat), and same with the tomato paste and tomato sauce — it’s one or the other. It tastes really good just like that, but if you have these ingredients on hand, I also add fish sauce, cumin, paprika, cayenne and coriander. (Your choice how much, but be sparing with the fish sauce if you’re not sure how much you like it.)

The funny thing is, according to a lot of comments I’ve seen, Filipino spaghetti has a bit of a mixed reputation! I can’t think why. It’s delicious. (I suspect a lot of it’s just racism.)

2. Embutido (Filipino Meatloaf)

Much like with pasta, meatloaf is one of those traditional White Household Dishes that I’ll like, suffer through if I have to but really don’t enjoy. I’ve turned around on them quite a bit ever since both cooking for myself and acquiring several pounds worth of grainfed beef (you can actually taste the difference, I am not joking!) but I’d still never go out of my way to have it. Still, I was feeling too lazy for meatballs, so I looked up some other ways to make meatloaf — and ran across this recipe. https://delishably.com/world-cuisine/Beef-Embutido-Philippine-Meatloaf. (There’s pork versions on both Kawaling Pinoy and Panlasang Pinoy; but knowing how long to steam the beef version is important.)

From a Spanish word for sausage, embutido is a steamed meatloaf (as opposed to baked) and generally has a lot of other stuff mixed in with the meat. The recipes given here include hot dogs and hard-boiled eggs; I haven’t included those as of yet (once again, I’m sparing with my meat, and eggs are especially dear right now). So my embutido so far has included, along with the meat, breadcrumbs and eggs for binding, carrot, raisins, chopped prunes, and a little bit of ginger for zing. I’ve also added a packet of Goya seasoning (con Azafran) although to be honest, I could probably have added two.

Notes for this recipe: even if you halve it, you want to steam it for the full hour, and as mentioned above, you’ll want to spice it! As given, the texture is good but the flavour is very mild. My recommendations would be cumin, paprika/smoked paprika, oregano, thyme, coriander, annato, chipotle, cayenne and/or a touch of anise or fennel. Mix and match as you desire, really. Alternately, substitute enchilada sauce for the tomato sauce if you’re feeling really adventurous. I’m gonna try that next time — for kicks.

3. Pork Hamonado

First off, this is a fantastic fucking name. I know it’s the result of ‘jamon’ meaning ham and various little linguistic turns from there, but “hamonado” is one of my favourite Tagalogisms yet. Is that the right word? Tagalogisms? Pinoyisms? I’m sure there’s an existent term.

Anyway, the recipe for Pork Hamonado is here: https://panlasangpinoy.com/pork-hamonado/ And this one I’ve got no notes on. It is fucking delicious. Well, one note: Don’t cheat and try to make this with anything but pork belly. But I am such a sucker for pineapple, oh my god.

4. Lumpia

Who doesn’t love lumpia? People who haven’t had them yet, that’s all. You know how egg rolls are a different shape than spring rolls, traditionally, from Chinese restaurants — and then you go to a Vietnamese or Thai or SEA place and the skinny ones also have meat in them? That’s what lumpia are, in essence.

Here’s the recipe I used: https://panlasangpinoy.com/filipino-lumpia-recipe/ I made about 12-15, so not a huge batch; mind you, I’m just one person, and I still stuck them in the fridge and served them with three meals. My notes: It will take you a few tries to get the rolling right, and that’s okay. They’re like tiny, annoying burritos. But the tighter the better, and you’ll get the hang of it. They won’t look like the perfect ones in restaurants, or that your ex’s mother made (ah, memories) but they’ll do.

5. Pork Skewers/BBQ

This one is one where I definitely couldn’t prepare it quite as listed, so the version I had and the version intended are definitely not quite the same. However, this is still delicious.

The recipe in its pure form is here: https://panlasangpinoy.com/filipino-style-pork-bbq/. The main difference: I don’t have a BBQ or grill! (Well, I do. But it’s in the back of the car and I don’t know how to use it yet. I bought it last summer on sale.) So I used my broiler function in my oven. Here’s my modified version below:
- 4 lbs. pork shoulder sliced into thin pieces (I used tenderloin, but shoulder or belly probably would work better; either way, though, it’s good.)
- ¾ cup soy sauce
- 1/3 cup lime juice
- ¾ cup banana ketchup (If you don’t have access to this, tomato ketchup or tomato sauce will also work; but I was lucky enough to have banana ketchup on hand.)
- 4 tablespoons sugar
- 2 tablespoons garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 1 ½ cups ginger ale (I didn’t have any pure lemon/lime soda, but this worked fine!)
Slice the pork into small pieces and marinate in all the ingredients above for at least 3 hours in the fridge, but ideally overnight. Then the next day, soak your skewers for minimum 30 minutes in cold water, and thread the pork onto the skewers. I put them on with alternating pieces of pineapple, lime and mushroom — mostly because, well, that’s what I had. I figure it’ll also taste good with red pepper and onion which is a bit more traditional, but I hate biting into chunks of those. (Autism for the win.)

The recipe suggests grilling for 3-5 minutes. For a broiler, though, you want them close-ish to the top of the oven and you’ll be broiling for 4 minutes, then basting with your marinade, turning, and broiling for another 3-4. Make sure to put them on a pan/rack where they can drip down onto something, otherwise they’ll be pretty fatty. I had them suspended over a loaf pan and it worked pretty well!

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Those are all the ones I’ve tried for now, but I’ll be reporting back on more! There’s so many — from kare kare to sweet and sour fish fillets, to champorado and more. The biggest barrier so far is me having to learn a bunch of new words (some of the more old-fashioned recipes have up to five ingredients I’ve never used or heard of, which, when you’re me, is a lot!) but I relish that — and I might learn some Tagalog on the way.

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GENREFVCKERY: February 2025 Release Roundup

March 27th, 2025

February, at last! There’s this adage that bad politics lead to good music — I don’t know if that’s true, especially when we’re all too stressed to focus. But I can definitely say there’s a lot of excellent musicians who need support more than ever. So here’s a reminder that if you like the bands I introduce you to here, there’s almost always ways to support them, whether it’s buying tracks through Bandcamp, merch, or even concerts if they’re local to you! (And hey, you never know. Black Dresses and Pup are local to me because I’m a lucky SOB.)

1. cortisol_inside cortisol_explosion excessive_cortisol cortisol_everywhere by Ada Rook

I’ve yet to bring an Ada Rook song into these columns, I think, largely because I try to focus on small, less-known bands, and I have this idea in my head that everybody knows who Ada Rook is, obviously. But I’m also biased. I’m queer, into this kind of music already, and Canadian. Ada Rook is half of the queer transfem boundary-smashers Black Dresses, and her solo work is no less incredible. I have a bit of a crush, to be honest. Her music always manages to make me feel both affirmed and a little like I’m having an acid trip at the same time, and this song is just another excellent addition to the list. This whole album is so far, honestly, but I try to focus on one song at a time!

Side note, really, but Rook may also be a goddamn master at song titles. I wish I was half this creative. Goals.

Check out Ada Rook’s new single here! I’m not typing that out twice.

2. I I – I — Blood Abscission

I really don’t get enough metal on these lists for how much of a metalhead I am, but Blood Abscission’s new single is some beautiful melodic black metal. A preview for the full album release on April 11th, “I I – I” is the first track on the album and foregrounds guitars and percussion with gutturals and screams mixed way, way in the back. It’s for all intents and purposes instrumental, and composed like a classical piece — it’s something I’m definitely going to get high to at some point, although YMMV on how that would feel. (Me, I find this stuff relaxing. But I also once suggested Meredead to someone and they were frustated that someone would ruin all the ‘pretty lady singing’ with ‘growling’ so some of us just don’t understand each other.) I do want to note that this particular song has a twelve minute run-time… so don’t put it on for your smoke break.

You can listen to the single and preorder the album right over here!

3. people person – McLusky

Swinging right over to the other end of the alt spectrum, post-punk band McLusky have a half-shouted, half-snarled single here to promote their album the world is still here and so are we — out on May 9th! “people person” is another one I wish I had lyrics available, but the ones I catch are slippery and wry, with a bit of sad-clown about them.

The great thing about this album is that it’s also McLusky’s first in twenty years! Originally active from 1999-2005, this marks their reunification, and if this track is any indication, it’s in fine form.

Check out “people person” by McLusky here — and preorder their album!

4. Happy To See You – Ready Weather

A lot of the bands I post on here are new, but Ready Weather are babies. Formed in July 2024, they’re not even a year old yet and have just started playing live; with that in mind, I’m all the happier that their single ‘Happy To See You’ is some genuinely fun pop-punk/pop-rock. (I think it’s right on the line between the two, honestly.) It’s bouncy and tight, with a bit of distortion and edge to it keeping it aurally interesting and not too smooth.

Ready Weather are based in Glasgow and include Lauren Black on vocals, Lorne Black on guitars (siblings? cousins? One has to presume so), Lewis Print on bass and Rory Breaker on drums. Not relevant in the slightest, but if I had a name like Breaker, I would also be on drums and nothing else forever. That’s a name destined for percussion.

Check out ‘Happy to See You’ by Ready Weather on Youtube here!

5. Ruin Me – Max Fractal

I have so much to say about this song and this artist. Max Fractal is the new and truer name of the artist formerly known (and still credited as on prior releases, although I won’t be using the name where possible) as Kim Boekbinder. Fractal identifies as genderfluid, and this is some of the first music they recorded after coming out — making it particularly notable.

In terms of genre, Fractal’s work is still very firmly darkwave, with a slow, measured approach and a nearly-purring siren-call alto of a voice singing carefully chosen lyrics where every word is crystal clear. It’s a tantalizing preview of the full Ruin Me EP releasing on March 23rd, and after following Fractal’s journey for the last little while, I’m incredibly excited to see them step back into the music world. (And peep that album art, holy shit.)

Listen to “Ruin Me” and preorder the EP here!

6. Balthazaar – Motorpsycho

I have a thing about long songs. A lot of people don’t like them — who has time to listen to 12 minute songs, let alone 20 or 30? — but there’s something about the composition of a long song that I adore. The verse-chorus-verse composition gets tiring after a while. So this number from Motorpsycho is a hit for me. The lyrics are poetic and the vocals are interestingly mixed while still being audible, and the instrumentation is reminiscent of both And You Will Know Us By The Trail of Dead and more classic prog bands like King Crimson. I also love the album art. I can’t quite peg what it reminds me of, but it’s weird and beautiful in a way that perfectly compliments their sound.

Check out Balthazaar by Motorpsycho here!

7. Brand-New Me – Elizaveta

On the note of ‘long songs’, Elizaveta apparently terms her music opera pop, and I can see why! This is one of those songs that feels straight out of the indie hey-day of the early 2000s, a la Modest Mouse, Deerhoof and Fiery Furnaces. It’s quirky, twee, a little bit repetitive, and a staggering thirteen minutes long. And yet, somehow, if you’re in the right mood and the right place, it’s a bit magic. I think it’s the mix of the bright, toybox-like instrumentation, Elizaveta’s sweet voice, and the lyrics; when I put it on either I’m not in the mood for the whole thing, or it just kind of settles perfectly into place.

Listen to Brand-New Me by Elizaveta here!

8. DIY GOD – Big Girl

Chaotic, a little bit jazzy, and full of more guitars than you can shake a stick at, “DIY GOD” is an anthem for the do-it-yourself part of punk culture with fantastic vocals from Kaitlin Pelkey. It’s a song that’s equal parts fist-pumping self-confidence and melancholy reflection on disaster — apt for the topic at hand — but the composition is just… chef’s kiss. It should be a wreck of a song with this many moving pieces in the background. It’s certainly not the only song like this, but it’s always deeply impressive.

The lyrics are also fantastic — both wry and sincere. “I ask the internet how to love/ I swear to god There’s a wikihow about everything / I ask the TV who to be / Cause nothing in there can hurt me / I asked you where it hurt / You pointed to the dirt / Who do I think I am, you asked / And I said are you sure” Ultimately the song reminds me of Icon for Hire among others, and I’m definitely keeping this one in rotation.

They don’t have the song up on Bandcamp yet, but Big Girl’s Bandcamp is over here with their earlier work. Meanwhile, listen to DIY GOD on Youtube!

9. It Will Be Like Now – Vulture Feather

Another new band for me, this time in the realm of post-punk, although I would personally call this closer to the world of prog-punk (a small but mighty genre!). ‘Blood Knot’ brings together the harmonizing guitars and wandering, building compositions of the post-rock and prog-rock worlds with vocals straight out of post-punk/80s Goth, and all of this with actually manageable song lengths (not that I usually complain, but it’s nice to see! Not everybody actually writes appropriately to the scale they’re going for.) My one complaint, as per usual, is the lack of posted lyrics. I can hear the vibe, I love the music, and this is fantastic work. I want to know what it’s about!!!

I’m also deeply impressed that It Will Be Like Now is only their second album. What happened to the sophomore slump? All I’m seeing from some of these artists is just banger after banger. Good job, guys.

Check out ‘Blood Knot’ from It Will Be Like Now on Vulture Feathers’ Bandcamp here!

10. How Does It Feel – Elliot Minor

Of all the bands I expected to make a reappearance in this year 2025, Elliot Minor was not one of them. I was really into them back in 2009 with their Solaris release, and then they just quietly faded away. ‘How Does It Feel’ isn’t quite a return to form — it doesn’t have the immediate attention-grabbing baroque-classical rock of ‘Solaris’ or ‘The Dancer’, but it’s an excellent single, and it’s loaded with just as many harmonies as we’ve grown to expect from Elliot Minor. Er, those of us who know who they are anyway. (Mostly Brits. I have no idea how well they crossed the pond.)

Check out the new Elliot Minor single here!

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GENREFVCKERY: January 2025 Round-Up

March 18th, 2025
Hello everyone and welcome back to the Genrefvckery monthly roundup, which definitely happens once a month and which I am absolutely not lying about. (I’m trying to get better about that.)

This month, I’m making a concerted effort to pull more from Bandcamp; I’m a little overly reliant on the Spotify Release Radar function, especially since I’ve trained it so well, but I want to give a wider range of artists their due.
1. Clones – x2001x (Sera Louise)
Será Louise is a multi-instrumentalist musician from Portland, Oregon — and a multi-genre artist as well, with several different projects all on one Bandcamp page! (And they’re all amazing.) This particular project of hers, x2001x, is dedicated to experimental harsh noise/lo-fi work, and this album is a particularly fascinating, dissonant collection. Aptly enough, it’s only called Music, and each track slides smoothly into the next, recorded with “a variety of methods”. (Very Lynchian.) My favourite of these is Clones, which feels like the aural equivalent of a good trip that is slowly, inexorably, going bad on you (and there’s nothing you can do about it). Little glitches in the Matrix, faces that aren’t where they’re supposed to be…

Check out the album on Bandcamp here!

2. Stained Glass – Harsh Symmetry

I am a dedicated fan of 80s New Wave, including everything from Tears for Fears to Echo and the Bunnymen, so finding a modern artist bringing that classic post-punk sound to the 2020s has me ecstatic. Not only does Harsh Symmetry have the voice, he’s got the synth sound, which is incredibly hard to duplicate (the more modern synths became, the less they achieved a very specific jangly tone which you hear in 70s and 80s music. It’s why the originals are so expensive!). Stained Glass in particular feels straight out of the Batcave in a way modern goth/punk music so rarely achieves, or even aspires to.

Check out Harsh Symmetry on Bandcamp here!

3. Flood II – Motherhood

This track opens up a bizarre concept album from New Brunswick art-rock band Motherhood, described as narrating the “sudden abduction of an unsuspecting pedestrian by a dark, expanding Cloud”. Bowie and Syd Barrett would be proud. High concept aside, though, this track is filled with driving guitars, thudding percussion, and a bright, distorted sound that stands in sharp contrast with the lyrics about witnessing a suicide and the initial abduction by the Cloud. It’s an excellent opening track and stands well on its own, too; a balance not all concept album overtures strike.

Check out Motherhood here!

4. Blue – Lady and the Clowns

I first ran across Lady and the Clowns a few months ago, through their incredible cover of Madonna’s Hung Up. I’m thrilled to say that their original work is just as good, if not better for being free of Madonna’s songwriting. “Blue” in particular is a rock ballad in fine form that showcases Sara Bassetti’s soaring vocals beautifully, and the distinctive chorus has been stuck in my head for days already.

As for Lady and the Clowns themselves, they’re an Italian trio with an inflatable banana mascot, comprised of Bassetti, Marina Aristotile on bass and backing vocals, and Fabrizio Orlando on drums. Mar Viola is their second full-length release and their first unaffiliated with a game — and it’s a hell of an album. “Blue” is an amazing track, but the whole album is worth a look, with tracks in both English and Italian.

Unfortunately, the full album isn’t yet on their Bandcamp — but I’ll link it here for the curious.

5. God Save The Queens – Vienna Vienna

There’s been a lot of queer, BIPOC, and working-class resistance anthems coming out — more and more all the time, some more subtle than others. But this is the first one so far that feels so much like it should be a world-changing hit. It’s not just catchy, it demands your attention; it’s performed with a saucy, fuck-you drawl, and the lyrics are both pointed and fucking funny. “Mister Lincoln rocking leather, even he was gay” is where I started cackling out loud, but it’s excellent from line one to the very end. I love every song I put on these lists, but this is one where I’m actively annoyed that it’s not a radio hit. (Which is also me telling you to start blasting it at protests, my friends. Bring your feathers and sequins.)

Listen to “God Save The Queens” on Bandcamp here!

6. Ela Minus – Broken

Ela Minus is a Colombian artist who debuted in 2020 — on this, her second record, she releases music that sounds like taking a synth into a cathedral. “Broken” starts off hesitant, with synth bubbling underneath it, but with every second that passes, the chords resolve a little more, the layers deepen, and the pace picks up after the first minute into an absolute joy of a song. Like I said, it sounds like being in a cathedral somehow. But with synths and pads and a beat — so the best kind of cathedral.

Check out the full album here!

7. TOOTHACHE – Hannah Richardson

A fantastic bubblegrunge song from another artist new to me — it should be noted that this is not the Hannah Richardson from CHERYM, although fans of CHERYM will like this track too! It starts off as fun and decent on the vocals, but it’s in the last third of the song that Richardson’s vocal talent really shines through. I’m also more than a little in love with the lyrics — in essence, “you’re very sweet and kind and nice and it’s not my thing, thank you”.

8. Run Rabbit – ALT BLK ERA

God, I love ALT BLK ERA. Watching Black girls get recognized in the industrial and rock scenes bit by clawed-out bit is wonderful, and these two have been making waves for a few years now. I first encountered ALT BLK ERA through their 2022 single “Off With Their Heads”. While “Run Rabbit” — off their first full-length album Rave Immortal — is a little lighter on the heavy metal screams, it’s still solidly hard rock/industrial, with pounding synths in the background and distortion dancing with smooth vocals. I do miss the harshness of their earlier singles a bit, but it’s all about stylistic range.

Check out Rave Immortal here!

9. The New Alphabet – Delivery

I’ve run into so many punks from Australia while doing this that I’m so curious to go check out their scene — they’ve clearly got an incredible pool of talent, and Delivery is no exception. A five-piece alt-rock/punk band from Melbourne, they came crashing onto the DIY scene back in 2021. Force Majeure is their second full-length LP, and the whole thing is a fantastic piece of work, but “The New Alphabet” is definitely my favourite. It’s hooky and clever, albeit a little musically brighter-toned than my usual punk tastes — but what’s life without variety? I wish they had the lyrics posted because what I can catch is great, but that’s something I want to bug all indie bands about. POST YOUR DAMN LYRICS!

Check out Force Majeure here!

10. Wanna Start A Band? – Sleigh Bells

Sleigh Bells make exactly the kind of unhinged industrial-synth dance music I love to inject directly into my veins. (Between them, ALT BLK ERA and my abiding love for Black Dresses, you’re probably catching a theme.) They’re a lot more well-established than the other bands on here — formed in 2008, they’re coming up on sixteen years in the game, with “Wanna Start A Band?” serving as a likely preview to album number seven. They’ve managed to keep their sound the whole time while still keeping things fresh — there’s a lot of people who wish they could capture Alexis Krauss’s relentless energy — and “Wanna Start A Band?” feels laced with feminine rage if that term hasn’t been hammered into the ground yet. “Go call another witness/It’s personal, not business/Shut up and let me finish” just feels far too pointed to be anything else.

Listen to Sleigh Bells’s latest single here!

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Genrefvckery: Album Review – ROMANI: The Untold Story by Dallas String Quartet

March 11th, 2025

Sometimes the title of this column feels deeply inappropriate to the subject matter I’m covering. Usually, yes, I’m covering punk music and lo-fi and metal — but today, I’m talking about music very close to my heart and to my heritage. I have a complex, multi-faceted heritage – I’ve touched on it a number of times, but on one side of my family, I’m Montreal Ashkenazi Jewish and Trinidad Creole. On the other, although the details will probably always be shrouded in mist, it seems that I’m Romani.

This isn’t an uncommon story. Many Romani people, upon immigrating to places like Canada or the U.S. promptly pretended to be other ethnicities — white, if we could pass as that, or sometimes things like Native American (a friend of mine laboured under this understanding until his twenties), Indian, or Arab. This became especially pertinent after the Holocaust, when anti-Semitism was addressed via the creation of Israel, and Romani people… got nothing. While we’re far from the only forgotten victims of the Holocaust, it’s an oversight that’s been very slow in being addressed outside of specific parts of Europe. Even when folks are aware that Romani people — and particularly the Sinti, the Romani group from and in Germany — were targeted in the Holocaust, the details of our story are forgotten.

That’s what makes this album so powerful. An original composition from the Dallas String Quartet and the brainchild of its founder Ion Zanca, Romani: The Untold Story is a neoclassical EP dedicated to Romani resilience and cultural identity. In this article, Zanca explains how the violin has come to represent the courage of the Romani people.

During the Holocaust, Romani music, especially string instruments, became a means of psychological survival and resistance against the dehumanising conditions they faced. In the ghettos and camps, Romani musicians continued to play […] provid[ing] a semblance of normalcy and humanity, a reminder of their rich cultural heritage in the face of an existential threat. […] In some instances, Romani musicians were coerced into playing for their captors, both in the camps and for Nazi officials. […] I remember my grandfather telling me how they often had to play for drunk officers, pretending they were celebrating with them and hoping none of them would start shooting.

I usually don’t look at additional materials for an album I’m reviewing, but this is actually how I discovered it — I’m currently working on a related story, and the moment I put the album on, it blew me away. I’m already a huge classical fan (neo- or otherwise) and the emotions on display in every single note of every song here are overwhelming. Of special note is “Sangre Gitana” which uses jazz guitar alongside dark strings for a unique and spine-tingling effect — even more so when the percussion kicks in partway through.

My only sadness is that the album isn’t longer; it’s technically an extended-play, but it has the richness and vibrance of an album. You can, however, buy it in both vinyl and physical CD format over here — you can also buy the digital album and avoid Spotify as they get even more fashy, and I’m certainly going to be trying to get away from them.

Even if you’re not someone who usually listens to neoclassical, put this on for a little while. It’s worth it — and kudos to Ion Zanca for a moment of intense vulnerability in a world where that gets harder every day.

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GENREFVCKERY: December Round-Up

March 7th, 2025
I’m back! I’d say I’m wandering in late with Starbucks, but I’m still boycotting and you should be too. (Try Second Cup, or Happy Goat if you got ’em nearby. Even better, just make your own.)

Two things: One, I’m realizing that the easiest way to do this for me is accepting that these take two weeks to a month to fairly curate. (And that way stuff that’s released late in the month gets fair play.) This time around I also got the flu twice in a fairly short span of time, so it took extra long.

Two… Hell’s bells December was BIG for music. Which seems counter-intuitive! You’d think it would be quiet! But no, part of why this is late is because whittling this list down was hard.
1. House of the Rising Sun – Rhiannon Paige
I love a good cover – but I already have a favourite version of House of the Rising Sun (Oceans of Slumber) so when this came up, I was a bit hesitant. But Rhiannon Paige has a hell of a voice — and I give kudos to ANYBODY who doesn’t change pronouns. There are actually two different versions of House of the Rising Sun, both about as old as each other, from a male and female perspective; so I respect the decision all the more. (It’s probably just that she’s explicitly covering the Animals version, but still.) It takes a powerful voice to pull off this kind of intensity, and Paige has the pipes and the heart for it. It won’t replace Oceans of Slumber for me but it’s damn close.

That’s all already given me respect for Paige. Finding out that she’s got this kind of voice after a childhood with 70% hearing loss? DAMN. (I’m deaf myself and face plenty of hurdles as a music lover.)

2. Disaster(er) Party – Bad Mary

And now for something completely different! Last roundup I had a couple riot-grrl pop-punkers. This group is ska-punk. Disaster(er) Party sounds like if Green Day had recorded Nimrod in 1979 and it’s amazing. Loud, cheerful, crunchy and with slightly raspy female vocals, this is just fun to listen to.

Even more fun is the band itself. Music history has all sorts of band configurations – real families, fake siblings, whatever the hell Fleetwood Mac was — but this one’s a first. Vocalist Amanda heads up the band, along with…her husband, her dad, and her professor? They’ve been going since 2013, and they make excellent music, so it’s clearly working!

3. Lâu Đài Cát by Thỏ Trauma

I love finding new international music, particularly outside the deeply exploitative industries of K-Pop and J-Pop. So I’m deeply pleased to have stumbled on Thỏ Trauma, a Vietnamese singer, composer and self-described metalhead. Her music isn’t metal exactly, but the influence is audible. And holy SHIT her voice. We often think of a ‘good female voice’ as having sweeping high notes, but Thỏ Trauma has the kind of alto that fills a room and keeps your attention. I’ve only heard a few of her songs so far and I’m already contemplating selling a kidney to hear her life. And this is as someone who doesn’t speak a lick of Vietnamese!

It is a tragedy, then, that her Western crossover status isn’t strong enough yet to find translations for any of these lyrics. I managed to translate a couple of the first lines through finding a transcription, enough to know that this is a love song, but beyond that I’m reliant only on the melody and the emotions in her voice. That’s enough for me to happily have this on repeat, though, and I raise a glass to Thỏ Trauma’s continued success.

4. Pink Poison – I Don’t Wear Pink

Pink Poison is the first single from I Don’t Wear Pink, an all-girl rock band from Mexico City formed in January 2023, singing in both English and Spanish. This is a fun mid-tempo pop-punk number, and between these folks and some of the new bands from the prior list (The Hex in particular) I have this urge to host a Lilith Fair for the new century. (If Coachella wasn’t run by fucking cowards–)

This is a really good first single, too. As far as I can tell — since I tragically don’t speak Spanish — these girls are completely independent, and I congratulate any band taking a shot at that in the hostile anti-art world of the 2020s but particularly when they’re doing it well. There’s room to experiment for following singles, so I’m curious to see what they do next — but the talent and the charisma is absolutely there.

5. Bekhauf (ft. Babymetal) – Bloodywood

Time for one of my patented genre whiplashes! ‘Bekhauf’ is a collaboration between two absolutely off-the-wall bands — Bloodywood, an Indian band that fuses Indian folk instruments, rap and nu-metal growling, and driving guitars, and Babymetal — the one and only kawaii-metal band. (There might be others now, but they’re always going to be the original.)

This is kryptonite to me on several levels. One, the song’s just fun as hell to listen to. Fantastic for writing fight scenes. Two, it is infuriatingly hard to get into non-Western music, particularly metal, if you’re not fluent in about 20 other languages, and even harder for non-Western bands to make much headway. It’s gotten easier (SO MUCH) with the rise of online distribution, but I still cheer every time there’s another breakthrough, and one that lasts. (I’m still so deeply pleased that The HU are still around and still popular in the West after Yuve Yuve Yu went viral.) And three… I’m a basic bitch. I love a collab. I love me some beauty and the beast vocals. I love the multilingual chaos happening here, I just love everything about it. Hindi, Japanese and English lyrics all at once (and, fun note, I mistakenly grabbed one of the Hindi/Japanese verses to try translate it and Google Translate thought it was Nepali. So that was interesting!).

And, oh, by the way: the music video looks like this. It’s by Goppo Animation – an Indian animation studio that’s been making waves, and no wonder. Look at that. LOOK at it. Gorgeous.

6. Every You Every Me – Megan McDuffee

I usually try not to have more than one cover per list, but this is a song I don’t think I’ve ever heard covered before; the original is by the band Placebo, and this is a stunning version that keeps the grunginess of the original while adding synthwave elements — and of course a completely different type of vocals. This is my first introduction to Megan McDuffee and I’m very curious to dive more into her work — she’s apparently primarily a composer which means that the arrangement of this is likely all her work. Fantastic.

7. La imitacion es inutil – Mica Hourbeigt, Jazzie Lock

I’ve been ending up with a lot of Spanish-English bilingual music on my radar! Hardly surprising given the amount of Spanish speaking folks in the world. This particular track by Mica Hourbeigt – an Argentinian composer and producer — is a jazzy, alt-hard-rock number featuring Brooklyn-based Jazzie Lock. The descending fill at the beginning in particular is really distinctive, and it’s nice to hear a song I’d recognize a mile away.

8. Time – To Die In Beauty

A German electronic duo founded in 2021, To Die In Beauty have a distinct gothic/darkwave bent, and this song feels like something from a cybergoth future. Maybe more relaxed than a lot of the standard takes on the idea, but that’s part of what I like it. I’m not sure if it’s a deliberate reference to the Pink Floyd song, but honestly, when it comes to The Dark Side Of The Moon, if you think it’s a reference, it probably is.

What surprises me is that these folks only have 230 monthly listeners on Spotify — but I’m trying to move away from Spotify away, so I’m happy to report that they have their own website! Not just for promo, either; you can buy their tracks directly from them.

9. Self-Explained (ROC) – LoveX, JeeRAWRXD

An electro/hyperpop collab between a self-described Swedish femboy (LoveX) and an “aurizztic femcel bitch” (JeeRAWRXD), this song feels like an artifact from another time. Not in a bad way; it gives me flashbacks to high school, but in a cathartic kind of way. It’s a blend of hyperpop and scene on a base of purely 2020s-era instrumentation, and good god it gets stuck in my head. It’s the perfect length, too — short, but if it was any longer I think it would overstay its welcome between the layers of distortion and deliberately-fuzzy vocals. As it is, though, it’s perfect – catchy, edgy, and somehow just sincere enough.

10. 5150 – Mommy Mommy

This song is hard-hitting for me personally — on top of just genuinely being really good. It’s similar to Self-Explained in the mix of Y2K throwback aesthetics and modern sound, but in this case, it’s a blend of 2000s indie-rock with the wild distortion of queercore and industrial. 5150 is a reference to California’s law permitting an involuntary 72-hour psychiatric hold, and the song starts off slow and mournful about “voices telling me I’m better off dead” before the dissonance clatters in like an uninvited guest. It’s some incredible songwriting from a self-described queer band and I’ll definitely be following their work. My one gripe is that I would love to read the lyrics in detail, but I can’t find them anywhere! Post your lyrics, people! Let me love you!

And that’s my December round-up! January and February are on their way — and if you’d like me to give something of yours a listen, hit me up through the contact page.

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