The Deviant Dispatch Does List Season
roundups of the best music of the year + events this weekend
this screencap from Great British Bake Off is my end-of-year mood
Hello comrades,
Welcome to The Deviant Dispatch. I’m Mo, your guide to the underground world of Brooklyn and beyond. On Wednesday I write about events for free. On Friday I write about gossip for money (paying members only). There will be snark, and sometimes typos.
The year is almost over!!!! AAAAAAAA! Since this is a publication I’m going to participate in the cringe end-of-year list season. Mostly because it’s a tradition, but there’s an ulterior motive as well. Since my buddies on free tier didn’t get something last Wednesday, I felt extra inclined to make this late offering all the sweeter.
Below you’ll find my fave musical releases of the year. Below those you’ll find events for this weekend. Next week there will be just one newsletter cuz I’m trying to take the week off. We’ll see how successful I am.
I’m very happy you’re here reading. As I look forward to 2021, it looks like I’ll be doing lots more freelancing. Supporting me here ensures I don’t need an editor to email me back in order to make rent! So consider becoming a paid subscriber or just sharing the newsletter. Every bit of support you give me (even reading this sentence) means the world.
XOXO
Mo
The Sad Girl Indie Album of The Year
When Soccer Mommy’s sophomore album came out in February I mostly rolled my eyes at it. I liked Sophie Allison’s downcast indie rock, but Color Theory didn’t have the swaggering lead singles of her first album Clean. As it became clear this year would be defined by dread, her mid-tempo songs about sadness, sickness, and mortality started sticking with me.
It was a year of waiting, and many of these songs felt struck with a sense of helplessness and finality. “Round and around, circle the drain, I’m going down” she coos on “Circle the Drain” (which should have been a lead single). Later she sings “loving you isn't enough, you will still be deep in the ground when it's done” on the song “Yellow Is The Color of Her Eyes.” She finishes the album by singing “Now I’m always stained, like the sheets in my parents’ house/Yeah I’m always stained/And it’s never coming out.”
This all sounds doom and gloom, but the chugging power cords and shuffling tempos keep all these songs from dovetailing so easily into despair. It was a year where many days felt like a zombie shuffle forward: slowly inching towards a goal with no life or zest to fuel us. With Color Theory, Soccer Mommy confronted the horror of the year and offered comfort against it. Listen above.
All The Relevant Queer Songs of The Year (for Wussy Mag)
I made the above playlist for Wussy Mag. If you want to read what I wrote about it for them click here.
The Best Cover of The Year (or at least the week)
Hyperpop’s cool older sister Caroline Polachek really made me gasp with this one. Polachek pulls off this cover of the 2000s hit by The Corrs so easily it’s hard to recall the original. Her voice is silky smooth, the sparse instrumental is by Danny L Harle, and the plaintive emotions are flowing. What more do you want? Listen above.
The Album That Got Me Through April + May (Possibly Best of the Year)
I’m a Charli XCX stan sure, but this really is her best album yet. “Claws” is a monumental banger that went criminally unnoticed. “C2.0” made me cry thinking about how much I missed going to punk shows with my friends or cramming into the Rosemont to catch drag shows. The whole album is simultaneously tender and bombastic. I predict that I’ll show it to children when they ask what living during the pandemic was like. Listen here.
The Punk EP That Helped Me Channel My Rage
I frequently wanted to SCREAM this year, to just let out a “eeeEEEEYYEAAAAAAAHHHHHH” to scare useless politicians and people inside without a mask on. SOAKIE had these songs written before the pandemic, but the rage on “Ditch The Rich” is always applicable. Listen above.
The Rap Album That Reminded Me of Fun
It’s hard to be confident in a year that kicks the shit out of you. Fortunately miss Flo Milli, a 19 year old from Alabama, has plenty swagger to spare. On songs like “May I” and “Beef Flo Mix” she transmits fun, flirty, dont-fuck-with-me energy. I can’t wait to dance in a crowded room to these songs one day. Until then, listen here.
The Playlist That Kept Me Sane
My final offering for you before we get into the parties this weekend is the playlist I made early in Quarantine and refined all year long. It’s a reminder to keep calm and not let the scaries overwhelm you.
~~~~~~~~~~~AND NOW FOR THE EVENTS THIS WEEKEND~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Squirts
When: Friday and Saturday, 8pm NYC time
Where: RSVP for the viewing link at http://lamama.org/squirts/
What: a roundup of queer performance artists, including singers, actors, poets, punk rockers, drag performers, and everything in between. Noted name Jeremy O Harris (who you may know as the writer of Broadway’s Slave Play) will be performing alongside local drag spooks MTHR TRSA and Junior Mint. I’m personally intrigued to see what the director and noted fashion punk K8 Hardy will be doing.
How Much: Free, but you can donate to keep queer theatre events like this going.
Papi Juice
When: 8pm NYC time
Where: Zoom (code TBA)
What: A Zoom party with iconic guests like Rapper/Producer Joey Labeja. The Papi Juice crew only selects the best DJs, so I’m confident this night will make you dance even though it’s on the video conferencing app everyone loves to hate.
How Much: Free
That’s it for this dispatch. If you liked it please consider forwarding this email to a pal! If you’re the pal please subscribe. I write twice a week: once about upcoming worthy events (for free subscribers) and once about underground news and gossip (for paying members). You can send me tips about either by emailing thedeviantdispatch@gmail.com . If you care about drag queens, illegal parties, independent music/art/film/fashion, Charli XCX, and rebellion, you need to read The Deviant Dispatch.