Hardcore Holidays 2022 Q&A: Girl Cologne

By Roman Salomone, Contributor
[Photo courtesy of Oliver Fleming]
On Nov. 10, 2022, ACRN hosted “Hardcore Holidays” at The Union in Athens. Alongside a DJ set, two fantastic bands took the stage, and one of them was Cleveland-based Girl Cologne. I had the opportunity to sit down with the band prior to their set to talk about how they got started, their 2021 album Phases, the local scene in Cleveland and some underrated Weezer songs.

Album Review: Yeah Yeah Yeahs – Cool It Down

By Roman Salomone, Contributor
[Secretly Canadian; 2022]
Rating: 8/10
Key tracks: “Burning”, “Fleez”, “Different Today”
The reinvention that rock music underwent in the early 2000s has finally reached the age where it’s being looked back upon for ushering in a wave of legendary bands. Groups like The Black Keys, Bloc Party, Metric, and Interpol have all continued to release music through the past decade. Meanwhile, LCD Soundsystem and Paramore have all been coming out of long-term hiatuses and releasing some fantastic throwback singles. Strangely though, one of the most essential groups of that scene has stayed relatively quiet on the music front in the 2010s – the Yeah Yeah Yeahs. The trio went on a hiatus after 2013’s Mosquito, and other than reuniting for the occasional festival performance, the group has stayed almost completely silent. That is, until May 2022, when the announcement of a new album and single came to much hype and speculation. Better late than never, but it makes sense. With up and coming groups like Wet Leg, Viagra Boys, and illuminati hotties taking clear influence from the trios’ classic 2000s albums, it’s the perfect time for the Yeah Yeah Yeahs to show their bones again.