The Alternative
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Leah speaks with armbite about the Philly scene, DIY Superbowl, where they've been, and where they're going
Leah Weinstein
(She/Her)
Covers:
Music, pop culture, internet culture
oh god, turn me into a flower | music journo @theneedledrop @pastemagazine @getalternative @bestfitmusic | leahetcpress at gmail dot com
Leah Weinstein’s Journalist Portfolio
View as a gridOrigami Angel Embrace Their Own “Spiritual 404 Error”
Paste
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Ryland Heagy sat down with Paste to talk about the DMV DIY music community, balancing social media, the industry, and self-care, and working with Will Yip on their latest LP, Feeling Not Found.
Hello Mary’s Emita Ox is a Gripping and Dynamic Second Act
Paste
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Running elements of post-punk, prog rock, and shoegaze through a blender is a delicate task that the New York trio execute flawlessly, existing as a sharp, syncopated and simultaneously immersive and unpredictable project all at once.
Time Capsule: The Sugarcubes, Stick Around For Joy
Paste
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Every Saturday, Paste will be revisiting albums that came out before the magazine was founded in July 2002 and assessing its current cultural relevance. This week, we’re looking at the messy, adrenalized and innuendo-laden last record that Björk’s original band made before she went solo and built an art pop empire.
Lunar Vacation Are DIY at Heart
Paste
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Gep Repasky and Maggie Geeslin catch up with Paste about all five band members living together in Decatur, working with Finn Wolfhard, and how Björk and Yo La Tengo inspired their new album, Everything Matters, Everything’s Fire.
The Alexander Technique Finds Rex Orange County in a Tug of War of Sincerity and Cowardice
Paste
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Alexander O’Connor’s first album since 2022 finds the singer-songwriter making confused, oft-uninspired work that leaves the listener with more questions than answers.
As Fall Approaches, Brat Summer Readies Its Exit
Paste
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Only time will tell how we look back upon BRAT and its role in culture in five or 10 years, but if I had to guess, it will be with fondness. In a sea of blockbuster pop records being released within a few months of each other, Charli xcx was able to poke her head out among the crowd and change the zeitgeist.
Orla Gartland Snaps Into Focus
Paste
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The Dublin singer-songwriter talks working with Declan McKenna, her collaborative project FIZZ, harnessing chaos through visuals, and her upcoming album, Everybody Needs a Hero.
beabadoobee Follows Her Whip-Smart Musical Instincts on This is How Tomorrow Moves
Paste
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Bea Laus's third album captures her dipping her toes into several spheres of influence with the guiding hand of a producer so prolific that he lingers as an omnipotent force throughout.
oso oso Tell an Empowering Story of Growth and Radical Acceptance on life till bones
Paste
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On the Long Beach quartet’s latest LP, the songwriting is intimate, fractured and grateful as the band continue their historic run of turning disappointment into catchy hooks.
Soccer Mommy Announces New Album Evergreen
Paste
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After delivering some of her most inventive and production-focused work on Sometimes, Forever in 2022, Allison is “opting for more organic production” this time around, as her confessional and vulnerable songwriting takes center stage.
Hear Me Out: One Direction’s Four
Paste
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The retro approach One Direction and their producers took on Four played into their favor, quieting the tongues that were ready to pan yet another milquetoast hour of bubblegum pop. There was no decade that spat in the face of subtlety quite like the ’80s, and it was clear that 1D were primed by the hands of Simon Cowell himself to lean directly into those tropes.
Daffo is Ready to Be Heard
Paste
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Gamberg has a second EP and an upcoming tour supporting illuminati hotties under their belt, and they’re releasing music under the moniker Daffo. I caught up with Gabi at Goo Fest, a DIY festival held in the patch of grass between two North Philadelphia row homes. This allowed for the strangest environment I’ve conducted an interview in thus far: a punk venue owner’s bedroom.
Odie Leigh’s Carrier Pigeon is a Charming and Focused Debut
Paste
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The Detroit singer-songwriter’s first album shows just how far she’s come since “Crop Circles” pointed her arrow toward stardom in 2022.
Untangling the Unique, Private and Meteoric Rise of Mitski in the Age of TikTok
Paste
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Once an indie darling, Mitski’s 2023 hit “My Love Mine All Mine” has taken her to brand new heights. Over a billion streams later, and she remains offline and unwilling to give into the machine that pleads for her to enable parasociality.
MILLY Explode Into View
Paste
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The Los Angeles four-piece talks about their church band roots and the roads they traveled while making their sophomore album, Your Own Becoming.
Time Capsule: 800 cherries, romantico
Paste
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Every Saturday, Paste will be revisiting albums that came out before the magazine was founded in July 2002 and assessing its current cultural relevance. This week, we’re looking at Tokyo duo 800 cherries’ monumental and underrated sophomore album—a Shibuya-kei classic released in 1998 with soundscapes so timeless they’ve caught on with American audiences in recent years.
On C,XOXO Camila Cabello Fails on Everything She Sets Out to Do
Paste
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The pop star’s fourth studio album is remarkably apathetic and lacks the charisma needed to leave any kind of worthwhile impression.
Hear Me Out: Zach Stone Is Gonna Be Famous
Paste
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Although he’s now considered a somewhat divisive figure due to his YouTube edgelord beginnings, Bo Burnham was once one of the most promising young comics around. Burnham procured his first Comedy Central stand-up special at just 19 years old, and has maintained a devoted cult fanbase ever since. While I do think those that worship the ground Bo walks on and stream the songs from his specials in isolation are at best, missing the point, and at worst, strange individuals, Burnham’s nearly two-decade long career still has its hidden gems. And chief among them is Zach Stone Is Gonna Be Famous.
Bess Atwell is Finding Peace
Paste
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The English singer-songwriter talks working with the National’s Aaron Dessner, touring with an ex and writing about unorthodox family dynamics on her new album, Light Sleeper.
Crumb Groove Their Worries Away on AMAMA
Paste
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The beloved New York band’s third album features transient, lyrically minimal recollections over a collage of jazz, pop and psych-rock.
AI in Music: Creativity vs. Commodification (The Heavyweight Champion of the World)
www.modernmixtapeblog.com
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It seems as though every day I enter one of my music business classes I'm met with the topic that is chief of invoking dread and fatigue: AI. "This is our future," "It's only going to become more prevalent," they say.
Bad Opener Choice or Bad Crowd?
www.modernmixtapeblog.com
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As someone who attends about 3 non-DIY concerts every month, I've seen too many opening acts to count, and that number is only going to increase. Recently, I've been to a handful of shows where the opener wasn't necessarily bad, but their presence seemed misguided more than anything.
The Triumph of GUTS, Turning 20, and the Future of Pop Music
www.modernmixtapeblog.com
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Best new artist curse be damned. As I type this, I will still be a teenage girl for one more month. The home stretch of my teenagehood has been one of whiplash between euphoric highs (literal and figurative) and treacherous lows, and that feeling hasn't been captured in pop music like this since Lorde's indomitable Melodrama in 2017.