In ‘The Menu,’ there is no escape from consumption
Mark Mylod’s satirical horror riffs on elite capitalism—and what can happen when we’re alienated from true satiation
Are complaints about unoriginality in film unoriginal?
Movies have always reshuffled the past—and while today’s stories might not be new, they’re being told differently
1984 or 2022? An Orwellian interpretation of ‘Stars At Noon’
The latest film by French director Claire Denis doesn’t describe a dystopia to come, but one which has already settled in to stay
‘Hellraiser’ promises pleasurable pain, but delivers only agony
The remake of Clive Barker’s classic horror film aims to explore the furthest regions of experience, but ends up as an accidental meta-commentary
In ‘Bliss Montage,’ Ling Ma falls out of narrative and into stasis
The author’s latest collection tries to escape the market and literary clichés—but is this a cliché in itself?
What ‘Everything Everywhere All at Once’ gets wrong about queer parenthood
Noah Berlatsky questions the tidy narrative closure of a film that wallows in the struggles of raising a queer child, rather than exploring its joys
For a story about stereotypes, B.J. Novak’s ‘Vengeance’ has some blind spots of its own
The film’s exploration of regional tensions effectively erase actual class dynamics—race, gender, religion, and most other major political fault-lines
‘Kimi’ doesn’t belong on the big screen—but neither do most stories
Steven Soderbergh’s latest thriller will never dominate the cultural conversation, but does that mean it isn’t good?
‘Spiderhead’ shows us what cinema gets wrong about the prison of the mind
In sci-fi, the metaphor of prison can convey complex truths. But does it encourage empathy for actual prisoners?
Mobley’s soulful pop challenges the political status quo—and celebrates human connection
The musician's latest EP ‘Young and Dying in the Occident Supreme’ explores his complicated relationship with the United States
Sounds of solidarity: 5 albums blending language, technologies, and traditions
From psychedelic bossa nova to 'kung fu-Appalachian' folk-rock, the music defying real and conceptual borders
Drew McDowall’s new-age noise music quests for a sense of ‘sacred atheism’
The electronic musician, best known for his work with Coil and Psychic TV, collaborates with composer Caterina Barbieri on ‘Agalma’
Ólafur Arnalds, sampling healing rituals and spoken word, reminds us we’re all connected
On 'Some Kind of Peace,' the Icelandic multi-instrumentalist embraces birth, death, and new beginnings
Yo La Tengo’s new dual releases reflect on a sonically expansive past
30 years on, the celebrated indie band is able to take itself apart and put itself back together, as indie rock, bluegrass, drone, or whatever...
Eddie Van Halen, the guitar god who boosted hard rock into a neon future
The late rock legend is best remembered for his searing guitar solos—but Eddie Van Halen's most genius creative moment was one that horrified fans, rock...
‘Electric Jesus’ will take you on a metal-fueled journey towards enlightenment
Discovering the meaning of joy in a fictional, half-parodic tribute to ’80s Christian rock music
Nazi hunting in the age of pop culture Hitler clones
In 'The Boys From Brazil,' Ira Levin probed our absurdist obsession with Nazi replicants—unfortunately today's fascists don't conform to pulp tropes
Executioner’s Mask makes post punk a religious experience
Frontman Jay Gambit tells Document how the band makes eternal despair sound catchy
‘Alternate history’ fiction reveals our dystopian American reality
For Philip K. Dick, Philip Roth, and Colson Whitehead, 'evil' hasn't been defeated—it's an active force in our politics
Multigenerational rock duo The Great Sadness exorcise their demons
On 'Thievin,' Cathy Cooper and Stephen McNeely turn everyday melodrama into filthy rock anthems
Is this virtual strip club an oracle of post-pandemic sex work?
Strippers have been cut out of stimulus checks, while clubs are ineligible for small business loans. At Sanctuary, dancers are making bank while doing whatever...
We are the virus: body horror films reflect humanity at its most grotesque
From 'Alien' to 'The Thing,' body horror exposes the deeper evils that capitalism has left to fester
Re-centering the Black experience in the horror genre, from ‘Beloved’ to ‘Get Out’
“Black history is black horror”: scholars and creators Tananarive Due, John Jennings, and Robin R. Means Coleman probe the future of horror—with an eye to...
Be Steadwell’s queer slow jams are sexy, weird, and relatable
The singer-songwriter knows we're all watching porn and binging Downton Abbey at the same time
Nnamdi recorded his album from isolation—before solitude was everyday life
On 'BRAT,' the Chicago musician captures the bittersweet triumph of being trapped in your own skull.
Hard times and heartbreak: Swamp Dogg articulates America’s collective pain through country music
On 'Sorry You Couldn’t Make It,' the 77-year-old soul superstar expounds the radical, black roots of country.
Searching for cyber-utopia in music made by robots
From Eartheater to Holly Herndon, this is the soundtrack to the technological Eden of our dreams
How LEYA’s avant-garde harp music provided Pornhub’s best film score
Marilu Donovan, and Adam Markiewicz, joined by collaborator Eartheater, on the shimmering, seductive sound that caught Brooke Candy's ear.
Sunny Jain’s Bollywood-Western odyssey to the heart of American identity
On ‘Wild Wild East,’ Sunny Jain reclaims the cowboy narrative for America’s immigrants—and honors his own family’s migration story.
Bonny Light Horseman takes traditional folk music on an uncharted route
Josh Kaufman, Eric D. Johnson, and Anaïs Mitchell revive the simple pleasures of 18th century songbooks on their debut self-titled album.
Okay Kaya writes pop songs for your saddest, most honest sex tape
On her second album ‘Watch this Liquid Pour Itself,’ Kaya Wilkins finds beauty in mediocre sex, AA meetings, and karaoke disasters.
Beverly Glenn-Copeland, the cult electronic musician finding a new generation of fans
50 years after recording ‘Keyboard Fantasies,’ the artist discusses his groundbreaking music and living openly as a trans man.
With visceral rage, Lingua Ignota ignites a new form of healing and empowerment on her album ‘Caligula’
After formal and informal justice failed her, the artist expresses her pain from past abusive relationships with expansive, uncensored metal.
Nicola Cruz’s latest album embraces dance music’s global roots
The musician infuses influences from his international upbringing into expansive, unusual electronica on 'Siku.'
Deathprod, dark lord of ambient sound, wants to show you the light
Helge Sten's first album in 15 years is an 'anti-fascist ritual' fueled by anger, empathy, and compassion
Pharmakon’s exquisitely brutal noise for our increasingly bleak world
Margaret Chardiet, aka Pharmakon, can’t stop society from falling apart, but her experimental music is a reminder that you’re not the only one who knows...
