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My name is Ryan and I've been writing about Broken Social Scene for two decades. All of that work—reviews, interviews, you name it—was found on Pitchfork, a website that became synonymous with the indie-rock collective in the 2000s. This is the first BSS story I've done anywhere else, and the fact that it lives on Hearing Things, a publication that I own and run with my friends, feels right.

I've interviewed BSS member Kevin Drew many times, but this one was different, more personal. In talking about the band's majestic new album, 𝘙𝘦𝘮𝘦𝘮𝘣𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘏𝘶𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘴, Drew was open about, well, everything—love and loss, hits and misses, shame and pride. It made me want to match that candidness with my own. The result is a piece that touches on everything from why BSS decided to remain on Spotify to advice about how to best memorialize your loved ones while they're still here to that time Drew was voted prom queen in high school (see the second slide!). I also delved into my own long relationship with BSS's music, and how Drew gave me a much-needed boost when my tenure at Pitchfork abruptly ended a couple of years ago. It's a lot, but so is Broken Social Scene!

Read the piece at the link in bio.

📸@norman__wong

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#brokensocialscene #kevindrew #indierock #feist #metric #spotify #musicjournalism #parkinglotdreams

My name is Ryan and I've been writing about Broken Social Scene for two decades. All of that work—reviews, interviews, you name it—was found on Pitchfork, a website that became synonymous with the indie-rock collective in the 2000s. This is the first BSS story I've done anywhere else, and the fact that it lives on Hearing Things, a publication that I own and run with my friends, feels right.

I've interviewed BSS member Kevin Drew many times, but this one was different, more personal. In talking about the band's majestic new album, 𝘙𝘦𝘮𝘦𝘮𝘣𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘏𝘶𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘴, Drew was open about, well, everything—love and loss, hits and misses, shame and pride. It made me want to match that candidness with my own. The result is a piece that touches on everything from why BSS decided to remain on Spotify to advice about how to best memorialize your loved ones while they're still here to that time Drew was voted prom queen in high school (see the second slide!). I also delved into my own long relationship with BSS's music, and how Drew gave me a much-needed boost when my tenure at Pitchfork abruptly ended a couple of years ago. It's a lot, but so is Broken Social Scene!

Read the piece at the link in bio.

📸@norman__wong

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#brokensocialscene #kevindrew #indierock #feist #metric #spotify #musicjournalism #parkinglotdreams

As JPEG songs go, “Babygirl” is boilerplate. Beatwise, there’s a chanting vocal sample at its center, similar to the Ol’ Dirty Bastard yodels powering early hits like “Real Nega,” some blown out 808s, and light snares and cymbals. It’s lyrically samey, too—gun talk affixed to current pop culture references here (“Draco take you out your body like Severance”), insults hurled at people scared of him or opposition he’s ready to take out over there. None of it is bad, but that only further speaks to how unexciting JPEG’s persona has become the bigger he’s gotten. The more successful he gets, netting collabs with Danny Brown and BTS, the harder it is to take all this underdog acid-spewing seriously and, worst of all for a seasoned troll like him, to know whether or not we’re supposed to.

Read the rest at the link in bio.

In this week's FIVE ALBUMS, we've got a live album from an obscure but beloved L.A. rock trio from the 1990s, the return of a trailblazing Afro-Cuban jazz trumpeter, a London beatmaker flipping YouTube freestyles into high art, a gorgeous ambient album that's good for having a good cry and/or nurturing your appreciation for David Lynch, and the existential debut album of the Dominican pop star Tokischa.

On the latter, Julianne writes, Tokischa "puts her life on the table with the brazen rawness and lack of compunction that her fans love her for... The record is a chronicle of the way she struggled to become the artist she is—as well as a grand statement that she’s much more than the artist you might think."

Read 'em all at the link in bio!
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#FiveAlbums #albumreviews #newmusic #Tokischa #Acetone #ArturoSandoval #FrankMedley #AnaRoxanne #brazen #rawness

In this week's FIVE ALBUMS, we've got a live album from an obscure but beloved L.A. rock trio from the 1990s, the return of a trailblazing Afro-Cuban jazz trumpeter, a London beatmaker flipping YouTube freestyles into high art, a gorgeous ambient album that's good for having a good cry and/or nurturing your appreciation for David Lynch, and the existential debut album of the Dominican pop star Tokischa.

On the latter, Julianne writes, Tokischa "puts her life on the table with the brazen rawness and lack of compunction that her fans love her for... The record is a chronicle of the way she struggled to become the artist she is—as well as a grand statement that she’s much more than the artist you might think."

Read 'em all at the link in bio!
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#FiveAlbums #albumreviews #newmusic #Tokischa #Acetone #ArturoSandoval #FrankMedley #AnaRoxanne #brazen #rawness

In this week's FIVE ALBUMS, we've got a live album from an obscure but beloved L.A. rock trio from the 1990s, the return of a trailblazing Afro-Cuban jazz trumpeter, a London beatmaker flipping YouTube freestyles into high art, a gorgeous ambient album that's good for having a good cry and/or nurturing your appreciation for David Lynch, and the existential debut album of the Dominican pop star Tokischa.

On the latter, Julianne writes, Tokischa "puts her life on the table with the brazen rawness and lack of compunction that her fans love her for... The record is a chronicle of the way she struggled to become the artist she is—as well as a grand statement that she’s much more than the artist you might think."

Read 'em all at the link in bio!
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#FiveAlbums #albumreviews #newmusic #Tokischa #Acetone #ArturoSandoval #FrankMedley #AnaRoxanne #brazen #rawness

In this week's FIVE ALBUMS, we've got a live album from an obscure but beloved L.A. rock trio from the 1990s, the return of a trailblazing Afro-Cuban jazz trumpeter, a London beatmaker flipping YouTube freestyles into high art, a gorgeous ambient album that's good for having a good cry and/or nurturing your appreciation for David Lynch, and the existential debut album of the Dominican pop star Tokischa.

On the latter, Julianne writes, Tokischa "puts her life on the table with the brazen rawness and lack of compunction that her fans love her for... The record is a chronicle of the way she struggled to become the artist she is—as well as a grand statement that she’s much more than the artist you might think."

Read 'em all at the link in bio!
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#FiveAlbums #albumreviews #newmusic #Tokischa #Acetone #ArturoSandoval #FrankMedley #AnaRoxanne #brazen #rawness

In this week's FIVE ALBUMS, we've got a live album from an obscure but beloved L.A. rock trio from the 1990s, the return of a trailblazing Afro-Cuban jazz trumpeter, a London beatmaker flipping YouTube freestyles into high art, a gorgeous ambient album that's good for having a good cry and/or nurturing your appreciation for David Lynch, and the existential debut album of the Dominican pop star Tokischa.

On the latter, Julianne writes, Tokischa "puts her life on the table with the brazen rawness and lack of compunction that her fans love her for... The record is a chronicle of the way she struggled to become the artist she is—as well as a grand statement that she’s much more than the artist you might think."

Read 'em all at the link in bio!
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#FiveAlbums #albumreviews #newmusic #Tokischa #Acetone #ArturoSandoval #FrankMedley #AnaRoxanne #brazen #rawness

Peace y'all, it's Dylan. It's not every day you get to eat gyoza and edamame with a musician whose music has soundtracked so much of your life, but that's exactly what I was able to do with Flying Lotus back in January. In honor of the 20th anniversary reissue of his debut album 1983, I spoke to the California beatmaking pioneer for out latest iteration of The Producers, where he spoke about being Inspired by the production of Marvin Gaye, Curtis Mayfield, Queen, Madlib, J Dilla, Dr. Dre, David Axelrod, & more. Check the story at the 🔗 in our bio

This week in Five Songs, we've got a return to form from Lucy Dacus, plus misty jazz-folk, a UK rap banger recommended by at least one doctor, and more. Hear them all at the link in bio.

This week in Five Songs, we've got a return to form from Lucy Dacus, plus misty jazz-folk, a UK rap banger recommended by at least one doctor, and more. Hear them all at the link in bio.

This week in Five Songs, we've got a return to form from Lucy Dacus, plus misty jazz-folk, a UK rap banger recommended by at least one doctor, and more. Hear them all at the link in bio.

This week in Five Songs, we've got a return to form from Lucy Dacus, plus misty jazz-folk, a UK rap banger recommended by at least one doctor, and more. Hear them all at the link in bio.

This week in Five Songs, we've got a return to form from Lucy Dacus, plus misty jazz-folk, a UK rap banger recommended by at least one doctor, and more. Hear them all at the link in bio.

Plenty to dig into for this week's Five Albums, including: Kehlani threading the needle for R&B nostalgia! New Orleans-based art-rock! A rapper-producer duo putting the avant-garde in plugg music! Analog-y synth pop! Analog-y synth-pop! And a medical student making delectable dream-pop! Check the rest at the 🔗 in our bio. Here's a bit of Julianne on Kehlani's self-titled:

"There is unfettered nostalgia, and then there’s paying homage to your roots: Kehlani does the latter on their fifth album. This thing is stuffed with 17 R&B slappers that would have absolutely eaten up the Hot 97 morning playlist in 2005, and is grounded in the songwriter’s’s love of the substantial pen game that defined that particular golden era. Kehlani’s voice is elastic and sumptuous as ever—you can tell they’re extremely feeling this shit—but they really hit the sweet spot by bringing along their heroes, reframing the classic pop&B love song for a femme nonbinary-inclusive era."

Plenty to dig into for this week's Five Albums, including: Kehlani threading the needle for R&B nostalgia! New Orleans-based art-rock! A rapper-producer duo putting the avant-garde in plugg music! Analog-y synth pop! Analog-y synth-pop! And a medical student making delectable dream-pop! Check the rest at the 🔗 in our bio. Here's a bit of Julianne on Kehlani's self-titled:

"There is unfettered nostalgia, and then there’s paying homage to your roots: Kehlani does the latter on their fifth album. This thing is stuffed with 17 R&B slappers that would have absolutely eaten up the Hot 97 morning playlist in 2005, and is grounded in the songwriter’s’s love of the substantial pen game that defined that particular golden era. Kehlani’s voice is elastic and sumptuous as ever—you can tell they’re extremely feeling this shit—but they really hit the sweet spot by bringing along their heroes, reframing the classic pop&B love song for a femme nonbinary-inclusive era."

Plenty to dig into for this week's Five Albums, including: Kehlani threading the needle for R&B nostalgia! New Orleans-based art-rock! A rapper-producer duo putting the avant-garde in plugg music! Analog-y synth pop! Analog-y synth-pop! And a medical student making delectable dream-pop! Check the rest at the 🔗 in our bio. Here's a bit of Julianne on Kehlani's self-titled:

"There is unfettered nostalgia, and then there’s paying homage to your roots: Kehlani does the latter on their fifth album. This thing is stuffed with 17 R&B slappers that would have absolutely eaten up the Hot 97 morning playlist in 2005, and is grounded in the songwriter’s’s love of the substantial pen game that defined that particular golden era. Kehlani’s voice is elastic and sumptuous as ever—you can tell they’re extremely feeling this shit—but they really hit the sweet spot by bringing along their heroes, reframing the classic pop&B love song for a femme nonbinary-inclusive era."

Plenty to dig into for this week's Five Albums, including: Kehlani threading the needle for R&B nostalgia! New Orleans-based art-rock! A rapper-producer duo putting the avant-garde in plugg music! Analog-y synth pop! Analog-y synth-pop! And a medical student making delectable dream-pop! Check the rest at the 🔗 in our bio. Here's a bit of Julianne on Kehlani's self-titled:

"There is unfettered nostalgia, and then there’s paying homage to your roots: Kehlani does the latter on their fifth album. This thing is stuffed with 17 R&B slappers that would have absolutely eaten up the Hot 97 morning playlist in 2005, and is grounded in the songwriter’s’s love of the substantial pen game that defined that particular golden era. Kehlani’s voice is elastic and sumptuous as ever—you can tell they’re extremely feeling this shit—but they really hit the sweet spot by bringing along their heroes, reframing the classic pop&B love song for a femme nonbinary-inclusive era."

Plenty to dig into for this week's Five Albums, including: Kehlani threading the needle for R&B nostalgia! New Orleans-based art-rock! A rapper-producer duo putting the avant-garde in plugg music! Analog-y synth pop! Analog-y synth-pop! And a medical student making delectable dream-pop! Check the rest at the 🔗 in our bio. Here's a bit of Julianne on Kehlani's self-titled:

"There is unfettered nostalgia, and then there’s paying homage to your roots: Kehlani does the latter on their fifth album. This thing is stuffed with 17 R&B slappers that would have absolutely eaten up the Hot 97 morning playlist in 2005, and is grounded in the songwriter’s’s love of the substantial pen game that defined that particular golden era. Kehlani’s voice is elastic and sumptuous as ever—you can tell they’re extremely feeling this shit—but they really hit the sweet spot by bringing along their heroes, reframing the classic pop&B love song for a femme nonbinary-inclusive era."

Chidi Obialo is an algorithmic playlist’s worst nightmare.

Like 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘔𝘢𝘵𝘳𝘪𝘹’s Neo reborn as an avid member of the obsessive Rate Your Music community, the 20-year-old wields expertise in everything from glitched-out electronic experimentalism to spiritual jazz to emo. From Zappa to Arca. MF Doom to doom metal. Afrobeat to breakbeat. “One thing I loved about getting into music was going in deep rabbit holes when it comes to genres and artists,” says Obialo, who records under the name Heavensouls. “So I just thought it would be cool if my discography was a rabbit hole too.”

He’s well on his way: The Heavensouls Bandcamp page already boasts more than 30 releases. And you never know exactly what you’re in for when you queue up one of his deconstructed odysseys. There’s purplish cloud rap that plays like a Lil B fever dream. Screwed-down happy hardcore. Ambient folk that showcases his bottomless singing voice. A 27-minute free-jazz visionquest. All of it is refreshingly strange—listening through his catalog is like eating handfuls of mystery jelly beans and being pleasantly surprised by the fucked-up flavor combinations.

This year, he’s leveled up even further. Working alongside like-minded producer Stickerbush as the duo Sidepeices, Obialo put 21st-century rap and R&B through a freaky, blippy funhouse filter on 𝘋𝘢𝘳𝘬𝘭𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵, which came out in January. Just a couple of months later, he released Heavensouls’ crowning achievement to date: 𝘞𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘴𝘪𝘥𝘦 𝘛𝘳𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘦𝘥, an audacious record that seamlessly fuses the sounds of Fela Kuti-style Afrobeat, psych-rock, and sample-crazed hyperpop with Obialo’s own observations and struggles as an immigrant who moved from Nigeria to Texas when he was 7 years old. It’s an album that proudly harkens back to the past, but could only exist 𝘳𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘯𝘰𝘸.

Read Ryan's full Heavensouls profile at the link in bio.

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#heavensouls #sidepeices #afrobeat #felakuti #zappa #larsvontrier #frantzfanon #communism #idm #emo #piercetheveil #jpegmafia #talkingheads #xlrecordings

Those Olivia Rodrigo and Cameron Winter photos—PR stunt or dorky songwriter meetup?

The latest episode of our Waste or Taste podcast tackles that question and much, much more.

Listen at the link in bio.

Frank Hurricane is a legend of DIY music, one of America's great storytellers, and a one-of-a-kind person. As Ryan Davis put it to me: "a singular force of nature." Or a fan I met at a show: "the best living folk musician in America." But if you just looked around online, you wouldn't know any of that about him. I (Andy) spent a few days with him on his current six-month tour in hopes of rectifying that. I got 5,000 words out of it, my favorite profile I've ever written. I hope you give it a read at the link in bio.

Legends of industrial pop and electronic dance music melding minds! Musicians from Congo and Cuba show off their ingenuity! A New York songwriter embraces jazzy art-pop! A storied California hip-hop duo contemplates what all this rap shit means! Step right up for this week's edition of Five Albums. Here's a bit of Jill's thoughts on Nine Inch Nails and Boys Noize's lively collab:

"It is essentially a document of the nearly year-long Peel It Back Tour, where the goal was to “express NIN in more purely electronic terms live,” said boss man Trent Reznor. Though not all the recordings come straight from the boards of those shows, crowd noise and live intros are dropped into pristine studio takes to give the seamless effect of being there for this one perfect performance."

You can check the rest at the 🔗 in our bio

Legends of industrial pop and electronic dance music melding minds! Musicians from Congo and Cuba show off their ingenuity! A New York songwriter embraces jazzy art-pop! A storied California hip-hop duo contemplates what all this rap shit means! Step right up for this week's edition of Five Albums. Here's a bit of Jill's thoughts on Nine Inch Nails and Boys Noize's lively collab:

"It is essentially a document of the nearly year-long Peel It Back Tour, where the goal was to “express NIN in more purely electronic terms live,” said boss man Trent Reznor. Though not all the recordings come straight from the boards of those shows, crowd noise and live intros are dropped into pristine studio takes to give the seamless effect of being there for this one perfect performance."

You can check the rest at the 🔗 in our bio

Legends of industrial pop and electronic dance music melding minds! Musicians from Congo and Cuba show off their ingenuity! A New York songwriter embraces jazzy art-pop! A storied California hip-hop duo contemplates what all this rap shit means! Step right up for this week's edition of Five Albums. Here's a bit of Jill's thoughts on Nine Inch Nails and Boys Noize's lively collab:

"It is essentially a document of the nearly year-long Peel It Back Tour, where the goal was to “express NIN in more purely electronic terms live,” said boss man Trent Reznor. Though not all the recordings come straight from the boards of those shows, crowd noise and live intros are dropped into pristine studio takes to give the seamless effect of being there for this one perfect performance."

You can check the rest at the 🔗 in our bio

Legends of industrial pop and electronic dance music melding minds! Musicians from Congo and Cuba show off their ingenuity! A New York songwriter embraces jazzy art-pop! A storied California hip-hop duo contemplates what all this rap shit means! Step right up for this week's edition of Five Albums. Here's a bit of Jill's thoughts on Nine Inch Nails and Boys Noize's lively collab:

"It is essentially a document of the nearly year-long Peel It Back Tour, where the goal was to “express NIN in more purely electronic terms live,” said boss man Trent Reznor. Though not all the recordings come straight from the boards of those shows, crowd noise and live intros are dropped into pristine studio takes to give the seamless effect of being there for this one perfect performance."

You can check the rest at the 🔗 in our bio

Legends of industrial pop and electronic dance music melding minds! Musicians from Congo and Cuba show off their ingenuity! A New York songwriter embraces jazzy art-pop! A storied California hip-hop duo contemplates what all this rap shit means! Step right up for this week's edition of Five Albums. Here's a bit of Jill's thoughts on Nine Inch Nails and Boys Noize's lively collab:

"It is essentially a document of the nearly year-long Peel It Back Tour, where the goal was to “express NIN in more purely electronic terms live,” said boss man Trent Reznor. Though not all the recordings come straight from the boards of those shows, crowd noise and live intros are dropped into pristine studio takes to give the seamless effect of being there for this one perfect performance."

You can check the rest at the 🔗 in our bio

𝘔𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘔𝘢𝘳𝘺, filmmaker David Lowery’s gothic horror about a pop star in crisis and her fashion designer frenemy, has all the makings of an artful music movie—on paper. Its cast is more than capable, with Anne Hathaway as the lip-quivering title character and the mesmerizing Micaela Coel as her long-lost pal. Its eerie electronic soundtrack was helmed by Charli XCX, FKA Twigs, and Jack Antonoff, people who know a thing or two about hit songs (and the madness of fame). And Lowery, who crafted 2021’s visionary mindfuck 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘎𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘯 𝘒𝘯𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵, is skilled at delivering sumptuous visuals, saturated mood lighting, and abstract sequences to set a spooky tone.

So why is this movie so... incoherent? Read Julianne's review at the link in bio!

𝘔𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘔𝘢𝘳𝘺, filmmaker David Lowery’s gothic horror about a pop star in crisis and her fashion designer frenemy, has all the makings of an artful music movie—on paper. Its cast is more than capable, with Anne Hathaway as the lip-quivering title character and the mesmerizing Micaela Coel as her long-lost pal. Its eerie electronic soundtrack was helmed by Charli XCX, FKA Twigs, and Jack Antonoff, people who know a thing or two about hit songs (and the madness of fame). And Lowery, who crafted 2021’s visionary mindfuck 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘎𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘯 𝘒𝘯𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵, is skilled at delivering sumptuous visuals, saturated mood lighting, and abstract sequences to set a spooky tone.

So why is this movie so... incoherent? Read Julianne's review at the link in bio!

When Hearing Things contributor @akramherrakig attended his first metal show, he had to take an hourlong train from Fes to Meknes, and then waited even longer for the show to start. But "when the musicians finally played," he writes, "the drums towered over every other instrument. The mic broke down every few minutes while a frantic sound guy fought to fix it. None of that mattered. We all loved it; we loved that we could enjoy this music with what really felt like a community. We were moshing to death metal in Morocco with no fear."

That was 2017. In 2003, 14 Moroccan metal fans and musicians ended up in jail after a judge decided their music was "satanic." (Protests and successful appeals followed; the king himself intervened.) But what developed after that was a thriving, supportive local scene that can trace its lineage to bootleg tapes of 𝘏𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘣𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘉𝘢𝘭𝘭 (or satellite TV, if you were lucky) and, these days, has the admiration of metal fans across the world.

Read Akram's piece—and interviews with some of the musicians who fought to make it happen—at the link in bio.

📸 : Akram Herrak

When Hearing Things contributor @akramherrakig attended his first metal show, he had to take an hourlong train from Fes to Meknes, and then waited even longer for the show to start. But "when the musicians finally played," he writes, "the drums towered over every other instrument. The mic broke down every few minutes while a frantic sound guy fought to fix it. None of that mattered. We all loved it; we loved that we could enjoy this music with what really felt like a community. We were moshing to death metal in Morocco with no fear."

That was 2017. In 2003, 14 Moroccan metal fans and musicians ended up in jail after a judge decided their music was "satanic." (Protests and successful appeals followed; the king himself intervened.) But what developed after that was a thriving, supportive local scene that can trace its lineage to bootleg tapes of 𝘏𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘣𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘉𝘢𝘭𝘭 (or satellite TV, if you were lucky) and, these days, has the admiration of metal fans across the world.

Read Akram's piece—and interviews with some of the musicians who fought to make it happen—at the link in bio.

📸 : Akram Herrak

When Hearing Things contributor @akramherrakig attended his first metal show, he had to take an hourlong train from Fes to Meknes, and then waited even longer for the show to start. But "when the musicians finally played," he writes, "the drums towered over every other instrument. The mic broke down every few minutes while a frantic sound guy fought to fix it. None of that mattered. We all loved it; we loved that we could enjoy this music with what really felt like a community. We were moshing to death metal in Morocco with no fear."

That was 2017. In 2003, 14 Moroccan metal fans and musicians ended up in jail after a judge decided their music was "satanic." (Protests and successful appeals followed; the king himself intervened.) But what developed after that was a thriving, supportive local scene that can trace its lineage to bootleg tapes of 𝘏𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘣𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘉𝘢𝘭𝘭 (or satellite TV, if you were lucky) and, these days, has the admiration of metal fans across the world.

Read Akram's piece—and interviews with some of the musicians who fought to make it happen—at the link in bio.

📸 : Akram Herrak

When Hearing Things contributor @akramherrakig attended his first metal show, he had to take an hourlong train from Fes to Meknes, and then waited even longer for the show to start. But "when the musicians finally played," he writes, "the drums towered over every other instrument. The mic broke down every few minutes while a frantic sound guy fought to fix it. None of that mattered. We all loved it; we loved that we could enjoy this music with what really felt like a community. We were moshing to death metal in Morocco with no fear."

That was 2017. In 2003, 14 Moroccan metal fans and musicians ended up in jail after a judge decided their music was "satanic." (Protests and successful appeals followed; the king himself intervened.) But what developed after that was a thriving, supportive local scene that can trace its lineage to bootleg tapes of 𝘏𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘣𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘉𝘢𝘭𝘭 (or satellite TV, if you were lucky) and, these days, has the admiration of metal fans across the world.

Read Akram's piece—and interviews with some of the musicians who fought to make it happen—at the link in bio.

📸 : Akram Herrak

When Hearing Things contributor @akramherrakig attended his first metal show, he had to take an hourlong train from Fes to Meknes, and then waited even longer for the show to start. But "when the musicians finally played," he writes, "the drums towered over every other instrument. The mic broke down every few minutes while a frantic sound guy fought to fix it. None of that mattered. We all loved it; we loved that we could enjoy this music with what really felt like a community. We were moshing to death metal in Morocco with no fear."

That was 2017. In 2003, 14 Moroccan metal fans and musicians ended up in jail after a judge decided their music was "satanic." (Protests and successful appeals followed; the king himself intervened.) But what developed after that was a thriving, supportive local scene that can trace its lineage to bootleg tapes of 𝘏𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘣𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘉𝘢𝘭𝘭 (or satellite TV, if you were lucky) and, these days, has the admiration of metal fans across the world.

Read Akram's piece—and interviews with some of the musicians who fought to make it happen—at the link in bio.

📸 : Akram Herrak