Greta Lovisa: Beyoncé Is To Blame
As part of Music Is To Blame’s “What’s to Blame?” interview series, Lovisa talks us through her musical inspirations, her creative process, and her future aspirations.
Zahra Hanif
Freelance culture journalist, featured in The Indiependent, Music Is To Blame, and Polyester Zine. Former sub-editor (with design responsibilities) and writer for The Courier, Newcastle University's award-winning student newspaper. Former host for Newcastle Student Radio and Newcastle University TV. BA English Literature graduate.
Awarded Sub-editor of the Year at Newcastle University's Celebrating Success Awards in 2024.
Album Review: People Watching // Sam Fender : The Indiependent
Sam Fender’s People Watching is a blockbuster. The North Shields-born singer-songwriter announced his third studio album last November, igniting excitement among his ever-growing, devoted fanbase. There’s no denying Fender’s meteoric rise since the release of his last album, Seventeen Going Under. Now armed with an upcoming sold-out stadium tour and a place among Britain’s biggest contemporary artists, his journey from North East local hero to a festival headliner is complete. The album’s eponym...
The Rizzle Kicks Renaissance
Now, after years of silence, Rizzle Kicks is back with their most confident and experimental album to date, ‘Competition Is for Losers’.
Boy Ferguson Gets the ‘Green Light’ to Stardom
As he sings “don’t leave me,” Ferguson’s voice cracks with desperation, layering the track with an aching vulnerability. The plea is raw, almost gut-wrenching, as if he’s teetering on the edge of something irreparable. It’s in this moment that ‘Green Light’ transforms from a beautifully composed song into an emotional gut punch.
Gen Z’s Pretend Apoliticism and the Friend Who’s Too Woke
This TikTok is a symptom of a broader cultural shift that has made us deeply self-conscious about sincerity in all forms. Gen Z’s obsession with dark humour, in making light of trauma, has spiralled into what was described aptly by Ethel Cain as an “irony epidemic”, as we are desperate to prove that we are unaffected. This has brought a level of disengagement upon us that naturally causes us to scroll past anything that challenges our detachment, as insincerity reigns over all corners of the int...
Experiencing ‘Eusexua’: A Look Into FKA Twigs’ New Album
Twigs described ‘Eusexua’ as a “practice”, and a “state of being”, on an Instagram post announcing the album, coupled with the album cover, where she seemingly stares deep into our souls on top of a blank background. This minimalism and ambiguity does not extend to the project itself, which is deeply layered and complex, bursting with intricate soundscapes and raw, emotionally charged lyrics.
Album Review: Balloonerism // Mac Miller : The Indiependent
Last Friday marked the release of Mac Miller’s second posthumous album, Balloonerism. After years of unofficial versions circulating online, his estate announced back in November that they felt it was time for an official release of the late rapper’s work. The album is poignant, haunting, and woefully existential. Balloonerism begins by lulling you into a trance, as the first two tracks rely heavily on instrumentals to swoop you into Miller’s liminal space. SZA’s angelic vocals enter towards the...
Album Review: Perverts // Ethel Cain : The Indiependent
The album is the complete antithesis of its predecessor, relying heavily on instrumentals, occasionally accompanied by sparse, faint vocals. Perverts is composed of nine tracks,...
Album Review: GNX // Kendrick Lamar : The Indiependent
On Friday, Kendrick Lamar delighted fans with the surprise release of his new album, GNX. The release caps off a legendary year for the Pulitzer Prize-winning rapper, who not only emerged victorious in a high-profile feud with Drake after delivering a string of chart-topping singles, but was also confirmed in September as the headliner for the 2025 Super Bowl Halftime Show. With a runtime of 44 minutes, the album is short, but packed with the same dynamic flow patterns and lyrical excellence tha...
Album Review: SOPHIE // SOPHIE : The Indiependent
The record is composed of 16 tracks and stacked with featured artists who serve as the vocals atop of SOPHIE’s distinctive sound – a unique blend of bright, bubbly pop and chaotic, mechanical distortion. The self-titled album is a hauntingly beautiful parting gift from the icon credited with pioneering the microgenre of hyperpop, and her family who finalised...