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🗣️ BIG NEWS ICYMI: As I shared on Tuesday, Bobby Aaron Solomon and I are moving to NYC. If you’re in the city, be on the lookout for happenings next month! Send me a note if you have any thoughts on all this too (a la: job leads, collab ideas, etc.).
🦿HIP REPLACEMENT🦿 this week features international economics student and former The Trend Report™ intern Olivia Choi, who joins Ben Dietz and I to talk the appeal of stocks to young people, the madness around “Choosin’ Texas,” and the rising confusion around what is and isn’t AI. Listen on Substack, YouTube, and or Spotify!
El-Sayed’s victory sends tremors
El-Sayed Beats the Democratic Establishment
“This is it, right here”
“DEMOCRATS FIGHTING”
“Expert on losing Michigan 👇”
So much chatter and deep thoughts about Abdul El-Sayed’s win in Michigan, and rightfully so as it continues to prove a progressive winning streak that can handily undo $60M of dirty business-as-usual money. Democrats need to hop on getting pro-people real fast before rogue Republicans eat their lunch! Kamala, if you’re reading this, tell your team to knock it the fuck off with the edits. We cannot do 2024 politics through 2028!
UK heatwaves turn ‘green and pleasant land’ brown
Italy swelters, Hungary and Romania turn off lights
This week in climate change things.
Houthi strikes as Saudi Arabia braces for attacks
Keeping an eye on this, and very curious how this year affects (Dismantles?) the Saudi soft power push given America fucked it up.
Fears as scientists make viruses designed by AI
The messy politics behind Google’s AI shakeup
Meta latest to say AI hacked another company
The end of ‘The Magnificent 7’
This week in AI shit I’m tired of being subjected to, with the second one being such a “We do terrible things too!” pick-me effort on Zuck’s behalf and the third one featuring a graph so chilling as far as considering the bubble of it all. (Late to this but: I missed the Mayo Clinic AI drama!)
The Campaign to Force Genital Exams
Coco Gauff says she supports trans community
League ‘continuing to monitor’ trans athlete debate
A Riley Gaines and Sophie Cunningham Collab
”WNBA has never had a trans woman”
The transphobic (And anti-woman in general!) crusade in sports keeps heating up. This has been trending on and off all year too, from Megan Rapinoe on The View to the recurring virality of Kathyrn Edwards’ sports take.
The MAGA Media Machine Is Fracturing
Pirro Upended Trump’s Reflecting Pool
UFC loses $30m staging Freedom 250 event
lol
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The first person I heard about Ella Langley from was my friend Kate. This was in early June. She was talking about how surprised she was by the song of the summer debates because Ella was left out when she was clearly the victor. People talking about Zara Larson’s were within a completely different cultural reality! Cut to August, and Kate was right given how popular Ella’s song “Choosin’ Texas” is based on various stats. But, as I informally polled people on Substack this week, the majority haven’t heard or don’t know this song. Why is that?
It’s both very “Not in the world I’m living in.” and “So many different worlds out there.” while coming very close to repeating the 2016 idea of cultural bubbles that evokes coastal chips on shoulders, as city people believe their taste (Zara! Slayyyter! Madonna!) is somehow superior to anyone from anywhere else. City girls and gays cultural supremacy, it seems. Since first encounter, I haven’t sought out “Choosin’ Texas” because I find it a fascinating culture test: What is actually popular? Who is it popular with? Why is it important? As someone who claims to be “very plugged in,” how is it that the most popular thing can not-reach-me and most of you? Or has it reached me and I had no idea? Unsure. We all may feel like we are “on time” as it relates to culture, but a situation like this shows we’re probably a few steps ahead of mass culture, that the divinely regular in culture don’t break the surface to reach you, which is multiplied by the communities and cultures we identify with and the various niche interests we’re passionate about. Thus, cultural bubbles now represent tiers of the nichecific, where one can completely miss a song of the summer whilst being deeply invested in pop culture. That’s why the case of Ella Langley is so sticky and itchy as it reflects a Who? Weekly decade of pop culture. Is “Choosin’ Texas” really the song of the summer? Whose summer? Mine? Theirs? No one’s? Everyone’s?
This discussion is less interesting when we debate if country music “is popular” or conservative because we know it obviously is. What is interesting is how this exposes how deep the strata of culture goes. “We have no monoculture!” is a distraction from our existing within a constant rise and fall of mass entertainment expressions — Cinemas versus Netflix versus TikTok, for example. — that posit both “niches” and multiple mainstreams at once — A movie in a theater versus a movie on Netflix versus a popular TikTok, for example. — that each have their own legitimate viewerships which means they each are their own unique “mainstream.” What “no monoculture” gripes cover up and culture bubbles aid is the negation of this state of multiple-monos, our being steeped in a cultural multiverse where “the most popular thing” isn’t actually “the most popular thing” but a victor of one of many culture streams.
Consider the new Spiderman movie making a billion dollars, which feels like the movie equivalent of “Choosin’ Texas” given a lot of people saw the movie and yet…what cultural byproduct of it has actually crossed over? Is it just that one brilliant tweet about Sadie Sink outdoing her Stranger Things castmates? Where is its Chicken Jockey? Its 6-7? Punch the Monkey? Jimothy? When we compare Google searches around these “breakout” subjects from 2025 to now, worldwide the popularity spectrum runs Jimothy then Spiderman then Punch then Chicken Jockey then 6-7. When we zoom into the United States, Spiderman falls to the second lowest search. Zooming in on 2026 breakouts — Punch the Monkey, Jimothy, and Spiderman plus Ella Langley and Backrooms, for both the world and US — things get more wrinkly: Backrooms completely dominates interest followed by Jimothy then the slow burn of Ella Langley with Punch and Spiderman fumbling around fourth. *Oprah voice*: So what is the truth? We discussed this back in January, but post-truth times means multiple facts and multiple fictions are true at once: Jimothy and “Choosin’ Texas” can both be top items of the year even if half the world knows about one and the other half knows about the other. Multiple mainstreams mean the mainstream doesn’t matter anymore so long as you choose one to commit to while acknowledging others exist. This has always been true but, given entertainment and content streams constantly multiplying and fracturing by geography and culture, it’s more true now.
(Multiple mainstreams are a blessing in that we’re able to pop in and out of what is “popular” to us and our communities, making the job of marketers easier to find success but harder to rationalize to executives who see Instagram metrics as the “only” form of success. But it’s easy to let the fork run away with the spoon here, that one dominating item [“Choosin’ Texas”] means a definitive cultural victor when something else [Backrooms] lingers larger but quieter, powerful in a separate but equally important way. The challenge now is both defining these mainstreams and monitoring them. This isn’t to say irl vs url, Black Twitter versus Gay Twitter, country versus rock but a mixture of all of the above and then some: now a movie competes with a song competes with a viral animal, meaning all entertainment is more robust but more flat. To understand how and where these mainstreams exist, I’d start a definition of this by identifying community archetypes [Biracial bi Gen Z gamer boy? Hetero hispanic Millennial dog mom? Queer white Gen X artist?] and rewind .)
Thinking critically about these subjects, the bigger issue is none of them are technically “good,” save for Backrooms — and I don’t mean this to be a snob, even if I am: our multiple mainstreams are in fact all mainstream even when niche. The cultural victors within our ongoing culture recession continue to be mid, a line of thought that is starting to be recognized in spaces like FT. Instead of one large monolithic boring mainstream item, all mainstreams cast a wider net of simple, eh things taking the cultural lead. Look at the song of the summer race as proof: the contenders are all dated tunes as “Choosin’ Texas” came out last October, Tame Impala and Jennie’s “Dracula (Remix)” is a February remix of a September 2025 song, and Zara Larson’s “Midnight Sun” came out last June. (Even locally, in a city like NYC, the top summer songs are old too, from a Jung Kook and Jack Harlow song from 2023 to a Michael Todd song from 2024.) We debate influencers as expressions of supreme basicness and Tate McRae as giving such pick-me background dancer but…it’s all spiritually matcha things to cook and clean to, aren’t they? It’s all boring therefore it’s the top of a mainstream, even if it’s not our mainstream. Mr. Beast Russian dancing, Hailey Bieber’s meatballs, sold out Hillary Duff shows, popular podcasts that are all “like that,” and so much more: everything is basic and boring, a pleasure recession upon a literacy crisis. No category is really innovating, are they?
This situation reminds me of a Hannah Arendt quote on mass culture and mass media, via Neil Postman: “Its promoters are neither the masses nor their entertainers, but are those who try to entertain the masses with what once was an authentic object of culture, or to persuade them that Hamlet can be as entertaining as My Fair Lady, and educational as well.” Thus the rub: the television has multiplied and none of it is very good — and yet all of them demand your time and attention and monitoring, a context of constant consumption. Death by distraction? A win for each vertical? A political bubble waiting to pop? Marketing streams to optimize? I suppose the minute we all “know” “Choosin’ Texas” is playing is when a shift has occurred. Until then, I will keep an eye on the clock as three months have passed without my encountering it.
Ariana Grande: decision not ‘reactive or impulsive’
Ariana Grande has had enough of body comments
Ariana Grande May or May Not Be Struggling
This broke last weekend but there has been so much thought about Ariana Grande’s “taking a break.” Surely she needs it — but also something has to give as far as the reality of health and the optics of “being healthy.” Live and die by the kettlebell, in these looksmaxxing manically well times.
Lollapalooza’s Coolest Girls
“Lollapalooza will remain superior”
“biggest star in the world”
There is a larger story to be written about how Lollapalooza has usurped Coachella as the best music festival, one based in loving music over influence, one in talent over theatrics. Yes, there were ridiculous things happening but also Zara and Slayyyter really solidified their reign atop one of the mainstreams.
Israel’s Rave Music Drowns Out Victims
A brilliant story, which very much surfaces a deeply spiritually and literally Israeli culture. Goa trance, y’all 🥴
In Defense of the Paramount-Warner Deal
Clearly, David Ellison is having some doubts or concerns about something regarding the Paramount deal given his “I have even politics!” op-ed in The New York Times. Roadblocks are lifting, yet he still felt the need to do this. Hm.
Can Reddit fend off a new wave of SEO spam?
Yet another reason why brands are ruining the internet and social spaces, as more and more spaces become spiritually slop. But also: Reddit, you need to have better relationships with brands! Because this covert shit wouldn’t ruin the platform if you had better services!!!
A Different Kind of Cook
Our Cooking Columnist Returns to the Kitchen
The Chef Imagining a More Accessible World
I completely missed the first story (From January!) that was re-upped by the second item, Sunday’s The Daily from New York Times: the Times columnist and chef, Yewande Komolafe, had several amputations as a result of a sickle cell crisis that resulted in a coma. Terrible, but also a look at human resilience, adaptation, the need for more accessibility in spaces like kitchens, and how Black women are overlooked in medical care. The last story is a great look at the work of chef Lay Alston by Komolafe, a chef striving to make cooking and eating more accessible.
Bear Week in the Age of GLP-1s
This story is niche and builds on years of anti-Ozempic-for-bears memes. It’s much deeper than “big gay men are losing weight” as it calls in the soul of a culture, kind of getting at the multiple-mainstreams idea: What does it mean when “every gay man” literally looks the same? What happens to bears if they’re no longer larger jolly guys? How does that transform or divide the culture? Will wolves see a rise? This seems much bigger than a weight loss story, as it echoes losing body positive culture and the recent conversations around Samyra on TikTok.
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I believe I first encountered Byron Yeates in 2022, via his excellent mix series from his label Radiant Records. At the time I didn’t make the connection that it was his label, instead showing up to listen to works from long-time faves like Roza Terenzi and D.Tiffany. At some point, the constant curation of interesting house-techno talents forced the connection that Byron was the mind behind it all — and he quickly became one of my favorite DJs and musicians working now, as represented by items like his Refuge Worldwide collab with Roza from 2022 and his completely infectious The Lot mix from March. He is of a group of queer electronic innovators creating works that are as bright as they are culturally specific, like the spacey “Liquid Sky” from 2024 and his UK dance lesson of a debut album, Pansy Beat, from 2025 and the pulsing “Bear Bounce” from May. He’s an artist crafting upbeat dance music for downer times. In so many ways, he’s offered a soundtrack to help me get through it — and I hope he can do the same for you too.
Knowing he’s someone who is always moving and grooving, touring the world and co-hosting the party La Noche in Berlin (with the equally excellent S-candalo), he felt like a fitting expert to seek out to get intel on trends spotted within dance music now. I sent him a message and he was down to chat — and he went deep on the subject. Settle in, as he opines on the need to read through your culture and where a genre like house is today. If you need more material to make the case for partying, he has some wisdom on the matter too. Grab something bubbly, turn on his Triple J mix, and dig in.
Tell me about a trend you’re following that you’re really into
If I’m being completely upfront, I don’t really follow trends as such. Of course, I like to keep up with the cultural zeitgeist to stay sharp and have a sense of what’s happening, but leaning too heavily into what’s current or considered “cool” has never really been my thing.That being said, I’m genuinely pleased to see more people, especially the younger generation, reading, even if the statistics often suggest otherwise (or the whole performative male discourse online).
A few New Years ago, I made a personal resolution to read more. I’d always been a reader, but I set myself the ambitious goal of finishing a book every week. Eventually, I accepted that it wasn’t realistic given my schedule, travel, and chronic lack of sleep from tour life (queue the violins, loll). Instead, I settled into reading around two books a month, which I’m still happy with.
Reading has become much more than a habit; it’s something of a personal mission. I’m particularly drawn to stories about gay men, especially those written between the 1950s - 1990s/early 2000’s. Queer literature more broadly has become a real passion, but there’s something especially moving about reading the lives, loves, and experiences of gay men from that period. Alongside that, I’ve become a bit of a novice collector, collecting photography, art, fashion magazines, and image-led publications on nightlife, fashion, art, and queer culture (total John Waters goals).
It took me a long time to fully come to terms with my masculinity and sexuality because of personal trauma. Finding solace in these stories, their words and histories has been deeply healing. They’ve helped me understand myself, feel less alone, and connect with a lineage of people whose experiences, in many ways, mirror my own and beyond.
More than that, they’ve been an enormous source of inspiration into every facet of my output (music, imagery, track titles and so on). It helps switch me off from music (and the world I’m living and working in for just a moment and makes the travel accompanying the work a bit more bearable).
What’s a trend you hope never dies?
All of the above, really. Reading. researching, collecting. Actually putting in the ground work, doing your homework, learning your references, understanding the history and appreciating those who came before us.I think we’ve become far too accustomed to wanting immediate results with very little effort. There’s something incredibly rewarding about taking the time to learn, to dig deeper, and to build an understanding that isn’t served to you by an algorithm. Wanting to actually contribute instead of just consume. For me, that’s a trend worth holding on to. Is that a trend, lol?
What’s a trend you are so over?
I’m probably most over the obsession with immediacy, wanting expertise, recognition, or credibility without putting in the work first for just what we’re being fed via social media. Everyone’s suddenly an expert at everything (spare me!)I miss people having genuine curiosity. Reading beyond the headline (captions), rather than taking everything at face value or relying on whatever a feed decides to show them.
Whether it’s books, fashion, art, music, or queer culture, I think the context is often more interesting than the trend itself. Knowing who came before us gives so much more meaning to what’s happening now.
There’s nothing wrong with being inspired by what’s current, but I think we’ve lost a little appreciation for depth, patience, and taking the long way round. That’s something I’d love to see make a comeback
How would you define the state of house music now?
I think house music is in a really interesting place at the moment. On one side, you have the purists, people committed to preserving the genre’s roots, its history, and the sounds that shaped it. On the other, there’s a more progressive approach where house has become increasingly cross-pollinated with techno, trance, UK garage, breaks and countless other influences. Genres feel much more fluid than they used to.As with so much dance music, it’s worth remembering that many of these movements began in queer spaces before eventually being adopted by the mainstream. That’s the cycle, isn’t it? Communities create culture, it gains momentum, and eventually it gets absorbed by a much wider audience…sometimes losing a little of its context along the way.
For me, it’s difficult to define exactly what house music is today. Tempos have increased, influences overlap, and strict genre boundaries don’t feel particularly (so) relevant anymore. Rather than choosing between tradition and progression, I find the most exciting part (personally) acknowledges both. It respects where house music came from while still pushing it somewhere new.
I never want to be pigeonholed into one camp (either that of the classic or contemporary). I think there’s real harmony in understanding the history, honouring the foundations, and then allowing yourself the freedom to evolve from there or play with both, that’s what i’m always trying to achieve as an artist, this sense of duality.
What are your thoughts on the state of partying?
We’re undoubtedly living through a turbulent period. Post-pandemic shifts, an uncertain political climate, the rise of authoritarian and far-right movements in many parts of the world, and ongoing economic pressures have all changed the way people live, socialise, and party.Nightlife has always reflected the world around it. Rising rents continue to force independent venues to close, while a lack of meaningful infrastructure and long-term support for grassroots spaces leaves our scene increasingly vulnerable. These are the places where culture is created, yet they’re often the first to disappear.
That said, I don’t think it’s all doom and gloom. Our scene has always been cyclical. Dance music and queer nightlife were born out of adversity, and throughout history they’ve continually adapted, evolved, and found new ways to exist. Communities have always come together to create spaces for themselves when the existing ones disappeared.
I think we’re in another one of those moments. The landscape may be changing, but the need for connection, community, and escapism hasn’t gone anywhere. If anything, it feels more important than ever.
Be sure to follow Byron on Instagram and Soundcloud. Catch more of his music and Radiant Record releases on Bandcamp and be sure to check out La Noche, if you’re in Berlin.
“how did it get funnier”
“she do ts again”
Remember last week’s awful National Anthem from Martha Reeves? She has become a terrorist with this song!! But also…may not have been the technical worst of all time.
“no personality”
“limited personality”
Big week for making fun of influencers, to the point of the first essay and what we talked about on Tuesday.
“10 yrs sober”
“a FRENCH CROCK”
Two great posts about owning the moms on social media.
“bro is the target audience”
Dad post of the week, which hopefully gets your dad offline.
“an Italian love hotel”
Best poorly-placed-type sign in a while, as it doesn’t make sense which way you read it. Either way: very European vibes (negative).
“I know a bitch named Taqueria”
I am obsessed with the name Taqueria.
“Another evolution”
“It escaped”
“Another one”
“????”
Deeply connected to this weird Lego model train account that is having a TikTok moment.
“how is he Beavis”
“we’re streaming”
“the market place of ideas”
“people shared their thoughts”
”found out situationship”
This week in entirely new words and phrases I had to read.
“raceing out”
As someone who drove a Volkswagen New Beetle for years, I understand this video on a deep level. Still stressed me out!
“gonna have to speak up”
The video I watched most this week, due to it’s Vine vibe. This isn’t a funny bar!
“What if the whole village”
I have never seen this video and it is not new and it includes an R-slur but…wow.
And, finally, how I feel any time I send a dispatch .
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If I’m not mistaken, you live in Europe, right? I think that may be the reason Ella Langley hasn't been on your radar. Rather than being a sign of niche culture, I think it’s a sign of America losing its position as the dominant exporter of pop culture.
As the US becomes more nationalistic, it’s creating more culture geared toward a national audience. Meanwhile, the rest of the world is becoming increasingly influential in the global cultural economy (K-pop, Latin music, Afropop, and our European queens Zara, Charli, Rosalía, etc.)
choosing texas sounds very much like first aid kit's 2023 album to me lol