Home Blog Page 227

The crisis of too many crises

By
Peak Web
-
0
illustration of someone stressed out in the middle of a protest
ILLUSTRATION: Youngin Cho / The Peak

By: Karissa Ketter, News Editor

At this point in the 21st century, most Gen Z’s are aware our world faces many crises. If you tune into news or social media, you’ll undoubtedly be reminded of the devastating inhumanities resulting in protests in Iran, or the Russia-Ukraine war that’s now in its ninth month. Honestly, take your pick — the housing crisis, lack of reproductive rights, the dire state of democracy, climate change, racial injustice, refugee rights, food insecurities, COVID-19 . . . The list goes on, and on, and on. The amount of issues that societies face globally are so vast and most of them are interconnected.

Let’s say you’re interested in a specific area of social activism. Take climate change as an example: You go to your first climate protest, and feel pretty excited to get out and make tangible change. Then, next week you learn that climate change is pretty closely connected to food insecurity. More research leads to you learning about the connection between the agriculture industry and the treatment of immigrants and refugees. So, next, you attend a protest for the treatment of local refugees. 

With the amount of issues we face, if we force ourselves to give our all for every movement, at some point we’re going to get tired. Activism can be extremely exhausting for protestors — both physically and emotionally. 

It’s well documented that Black folks who protest their own racial injustices are most likely to face this emotional burnout. NPR did a survey with 500 Black Americans and many of them reported feeling depressed, anxious, and chronically fatigued from exerting so much emotional labour. NPR believes this is due to the accumulation of stress from protesting while seeing no difference in the amount of racism Black folks face on a daily basis. 

After experiencing activist fatigue, many protesters will take a break from their work. However, others will stop entirely. I think this is completely understandable — if you’ve put massive amounts of effort into a campaign and there’s no progress, no appreciation from your community, and no time to engage in self-care — at some point many people will have hopelessness wash over them and they’ll stop participating. However, this is also why white folks and others with privilege in society, who do have the energy to participate, should. If people take action when they can, others will feel less alone, and movements can continue their momentum.

So, is burnout just an inevitable part of social activism? How can we still help movements that are important to us if we don’t have the physical or emotional capacity to support them? 

I know from personal experience that choosing not to participate in a social movement or protest can come with the feeling of guilt. Am I a bad person because I’m not doing anything to stand up for what’s important to me? Sure, I’ve been to TMX protests and participated in other movements before. But it also sometimes feels like no matter what I do, that pipeline is going in whether I like it or not. Attending protests now makes me feel so much disappointment and anger towards our government for letting this happen. 

Activist burnout has caught the attention of political scientists, too. A study conducted by Cher Weixia Chen and Paul Gorski suggests that activists and social movements need to address the structural issues that lead to burnout within their movements. The act of protesting is meant to be selfless — you’re putting your own needs aside to stand up for injustice within your community. However, engaging in self-care doesn’t necessarily contradict your act of selflessness. In fact, Chen and Gorski found that when movements build strategies and create structural emotional support for their activists, their movement is more immune to burnout. 

Essentially, you don’t need to feel guilty when you take time for yourself. If you’re feeling overwhelmed with the intimidating number of problems we’re facing — take a step back, rest, and recharge. The movement will still be there when you’re ready. Take care of yourself first, and you’ll be better suited to take care of your movement later. 

Tipping reminds us how workers are underpaid

By
Peak Web
-
0
illustration of a restaurant bill with cash on top
ILLUSTRATION: Stella Laurino / The Peak

By: Nercya Kalino, Staff Writer

Each country has their own understanding of tipping within their society. While some countries don’t practice tipping by cultural standards, others, such as Canada, encourage it through rules or legislation around tipping. To an extent, there is nothing wrong with tipping. However, certain beliefs and practices surrounding tipping are problematic.

Tipping is a customary approach in North America to receiving services like taxis, coat checking, table service, hair styling, and more. It’s an expectation that positively impacts minimum wage workers in the hospitality industry, since many have highlighted that the minimum wage isn’t enough to survive on anymore. The minimum wage varies between provinces, ranging from $13.75 in New Brunswick to $15.65 in British Columbia as of 2022. 

Low wages amid a  high cost of living is one reason why tipping culture is ingrained into the Canadian lifestyle. Tipping usually starts from 15%, and anything less is considered condescending but not illegal. In restaurant settings, controlled tips help non-serving staff who work behind the scenes, while direct tips benefit individual workers. There are arguments to be made for both sides, but it’s important workers are first paid and treated properly. Besides financial barriers, service industry workers face mistreatment by customers due to harmful beliefs. Sexual gaze can have an impact, and is a demeaning factor that should never influence customers’ tips. Many workers put up with a lot of mistreatment while working a fast-paced job, and their wages don’t reflect this.

Since COVID-19, attitudes around tipping have shifted in a way that made people realize two things. For the most part, growing empathy for small businesses and workers resulted in tips increasing from an average of 16.6% to 17.9%. On the other hand, we now see “tipping fatigue,” where customers are faced with increasing tip expectations due to increasing inflation. Consumers are supplementing wages for items that have already increased in price at the point-of-sale terminal. 

This is where businesses must step in to support their workers by providing living wages. The need to rely on tips should be a secondary factor. Any business that offers the public a service ought to not undermine their workers because they are the ones bringing in sales. A business can facilitate other actions like paid sick leave and extended benefits to help support employees, but providing a living wage is a great start. 

Currently, tipping culture doesn’t create a huge dent in the livelihood of the average person. Those same workers are customers elsewhere — specifically minimum wage workers who know how tipping impacts them. At the same time, tipping shouldn’t be a primary source of financial security. The living wage should be a priority through government legislation and equitable business practices. The gap between wages and living standard is a huge issue that the government needs to address, not consumers.

New urgent and primary care centre opens in Burnaby

By
Peak Web
-
0
This photo is of a patient at a doctor’s office. The doctor is overlooking the paperwork.
PHOTO: cottonbro studio / Pexels

By: Pranjali J Mann, News Writer

Burnaby-Metrotown will be getting a new urgent and primary care centre (UPCC), and official operations began on November 1, 2022. The ribbon-cutting ceremony on October 29, included BC legislative and municipal officials as well as physicians. This 696 square meters facility has spaces for group therapy, consultation rooms, and education rooms.  

UPCC, according to the Fraser Health website, provides alternate care for “non-life-threatening medical concerns” in absence of family practitioners and access to walk-in clinics. In addition, it connects individuals’ health care needs to available medical services in the community.  

The new health care facility will cater to the “province’s growing, and aging population.” The 29th UPCC facility in BC is set to provide for both “non-emergency urgent care” and “long-term care” avenues. The service includes care in the cases of “minor cuts or burns, headaches, sprains, and those experiencing mental-health and substance-use challenges.” This facility will be open every day of the week from 9:00 a.m.–8:00 p.m.. Long-term care would include provisions for regular, “planned primary care,” along with extending care to the “unattached residents.” Unattached residents are those who are not attached to a primary care physician or family doctor. 

BC’s minister for child care, Katrina Chen, said, “People in Burnaby and surrounding areas need improved access to primary care close to home. The new Urgent and Primary Care Centre in Metrotown will help fill this need and is an important step in delivering on the promise of a stronger, more accessible health-care system for us all.”

The UPCC is located at Unit 102-4555 Kingsway and will be open weekends and evening hours to reduce the burden on existing facilities in Greater Vancouver. The existing UPCC’s are in Surrey, Burnaby, Maple Ridge, Port Moody, and Abbotsford. 

The Canadian Medical Association (CMA) is concerned about the existing challenges within the Canadian healthcare system. President of CMA told CTV News she is concerned that Canada is experiencing a “collapse of the current healthcare system.” This is because UPCC facilities and emergency centres can’t keep up with the growing number of patients, with waiting times up to 20 hours. Canada’s entire healthcare industry is experiencing large staffing shortages and ongoing waves of COVID-19 continue to affect the whole system. 2022 has seen higher waves of COVID-19 hospitalizations than previous years in the pandemic.  

Dr. Victoria Lee, president and CEO of Fraser Health, stated, “This UPCC will enhance access to urgent care services for Burnaby residents and connect people to community services and care providers who will work together to provide a holistic, culturally safe approach to care.” 

Pole dancing reminded me of what my body could do

By
Peak Web
-
0
Illustration of a dancer beautifully leaning back from a pole.
ILLUSTRATION: Youngin Cho / The Peak

By: Kelly Chia, Humour Editor

I’ve wanted to try pole dancing for years. When I was 14, I watched a video of a pole dancer crushing a watermelon with her thighs alone and thought, “Man, I didn’t know they were that strong!” Since then, I’ve wanted to try pole, if only to become that strong. I had a fairly limited understanding of pole dancing, and had shied away from anything remotely erotic. I’ve taken a few dance classes, but always found myself second guessing, wondering what other people thought of me. Those thoughts would lock up my limbs, and I remembered feeling so uncomfortably awkward stroking up my body. I wasn’t sure if it was the performative aspect, or whether I couldn’t believe myself to be a sensual person.

Sensuality feels like an emerging extension of feeling good in my body — something I’m still not entirely sure how to navigate. I didn’t want to be attractive for anyone else’s sake, but I also found it hard to do things that would put me in that vulnerable position of reckoning with my own sensuality. For so long, it felt like something I needed to protect so others couldn’t take advantage of it. But, I’ve found the desire to feel safe in my body, for my sake. I wanted to push a bit harder, to find some strength in not only myself, but my pride in my sensuality as an adult woman.

As I stepped into AVA Fitness in New Westminster to try pole for the first time, thoughts and insecurities swam in my mind. 

My instructor, Shira, welcomed us into the studio cheerily. This was an introduction class, I reminded myself, so everyone around me had the same amount of experience and expectations. Still, I looked at the poles around the room and thought warily, “How am I going to get my body off the floor?!” 

We were surrounded by mirrors. It was hard not to be distracted with how little I could stretch during warm-ups, or how my body looked up close with so little clothes on — in pole, the more skin you bare, the easier it is to grip the pole. I knew this, but it didn’t make me feel any less self-conscious. At this point, I already felt the unease crawl through my skin. I tried to concentrate on my movements rather than the feelings. Strutting to the yawning beats of “Season of the Witch,” and stroking my hair as I watched myself in the mirror, I allowed myself to feel good about what I saw. 

Then, it was time to try spins. Shira showed us a backward spin, then broke it down to smaller steps, which I appreciated. You would extend your hips out so you would be triangular to the pole. Then, hook your knee into the pole and slide down, landing on your hips. I had some expectation that the pole would somehow be slick and it would be easy to just whirl myself down, but nope! I slid into the pole over and over, feeling my thigh slip. Concentrating on which part of my body to use, rather than thinking about who was watching, encouraged me to keep going. Each time I fell, I knew I was getting closer. 

By the time I landed the spin on my hips, I smiled proudly at my classmate. I joked with them that I finally understood why pole dancers end up with so many bruises on their legs: hooking your leg is hard! She laughed and told me the bruises were proof of our hard work. I really held onto this thought as Shira showed us our next move: a reverse showgirl spin, where we would finally get our legs off the floor. We all gasped as Shira twirled effortlessly around the pole, leg extended outward to kick out gracefully. 

This was hard for me to really commit to, because I simply didn’t believe I could do it. Then, I felt that magic click of understanding. I digged my thigh right into the pole and watched myself kick out in the mirror. It wasn’t nearly as fluid as Shira, but I had done it. I was so convinced I couldn’t, but as I watched myself go down the pole, I had the profound feeling that there was so much I didn’t understand about my body. It felt freeing to get off the ground that I was so nervous about leaving.

I felt strong, and honestly, so pretty — leg extended out, like a ballerina in a music box. I had known it took immense strength to do all the spins and twirls I admired on the pole, but in an hour, I comprehended the impossible idea that I was capable of this strength, too. I woke up the next morning feeling ALL sorts of soreness: the proof of my hard work. I also learned a new truth about myself; I’m capable of living and exploring my more sensual side, and playing with her made me feel damn powerful. 

Seedling Art Co. launches guided mental health journals

By
Peak Web
-
0
This photo is of the creators of Seedling Art Co. There are six people together smiling for the camera.
PHOTO: Jesika Kula

By: Karissa Ketter, News Editor 

Seedling Art Co. has recently launched their kickstarter for the Seedling Growth Journal Kit. The kickstarter was launched in October but Seedling Art Co. expects to have their online store ready to launch by March 2023. 

The company was founded by CEO Jesika Kula, in collaboration with other SFU alumni. They worked with mental health professionals to create their journals. The Seedling Growth Journal includes guided cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) and dialectical behavioural therapy (DBT) practices.  

The Peak spoke with Zoë Law, Seedling Art Co. project coordinator, to learn more about their journals. Law noted, “mental health has often gone overlooked in our holistic understanding of medicine and healthcare.” Currently, Law reported “the average wait time to see a psychiatrist that is covered by [BC’s medical services plan] is anywhere from three to six months.” The Seedling Growth Journal was started as an outlet for people to have accessible and approachable mental health care. 

“With mental health, it’s not always clear what the next steps should be if we are feeling stressed or down. Some might not think it’s ‘not bad enough’ to see a doctor, or because they don’t have an official diagnosis, they should not seek treatment for mental health,” said Law. 

She added, “However, everyone has mental health. It is our emotional, psychological, and social well-being affecting how we think, feel, and act. Without taking care of our mental health like we do with our physical health, we are ignoring physical manifestations of our troubles — such as burnout, fatigue, and muscle tension.”

The CBT and DBT portions of the journal can help students focus on their mental health in times of stress. Law also encouraged students to “take preventative measures for mental healthcare.” CBT aims to address behaviour and thought patterns to “shift our ways of thinking.” Law noted an example of students becoming stressed about an exam. “It can be quite easy to see our test results as very all-or-nothing, success-or-failure.” However, the goal of CBT is to “help us recognize that this thought may be distorted and that our success lies more on a spectrum.” 

The design of the Seedling Growth Journals is based around plants and nature. Law noted they made this decision because “a phenomenon called the biophilia effect suggests humans are inherently integrated with nature,” explained Law. “Biophilia means the love of life. In such a digital age, it is so easy to become absorbed in our screens, that we miss out on interacting with nature [ . . . ] that, and it’s also really cute.”

To learn more about the Seedling Growth Journals, visit the Seedling Art Co. website. 

Basketball coach Steve Hanson realistic about team expectations

By
Peak Web
-
0
Photo of Steve Hanson and the basketball coaching staff sitting on the sideline during a game.
PHOTO: Paul Yates / SFU Athletics

By: Simran Sarai, Sports Writer

The fall National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) season is coming to a close, which means the next round of athletes are gearing up for the start of their regular season competition. The start of a new athletic season also means the arrival of team rankings. After placing seventh in their conference last year, SFU finished second-last in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference preseason coaches poll. The Peak sat down with head coach Steve Hanson to discuss the season ahead and what he’s hoping to see from his athletes.

Hanson, in his eighth year heading the men’s basketball team, is “super excited” for the season ahead, despite the departure of several key players from the Red Leafs starting roster. However, the talk of the team is this year’s considerable number of former NCAA Division I transfers, including Eric Beckett, Georges Lefebrve, and Victor Radocaj. “With so many new guys, it’s a ton of work,” said Hanson, “But it’s extremely exciting. There’s so much potential.”

Hanson is equally pleased with his freshmen recruits, like Jimmy Zaborniak, the first-year guard hailing from Burnaby. “[Zaborniak] is really showing he can play at this level,” said Hanson, who believes the rookie “has the potential to play minutes this year.” Most minutes get eaten up by older players who start the game, and get taken out with some time remaining in the fourth quarter. Senior forward Jahmal Wright and junior guard David Penney are two of the returning players who will be looked at to lead on the court. “Those two were both starters for most of the season last year and had huge roles,” said Hanson. 

However, this isn’t the first time a freshman has played their way into the lineup. Sophomore guard Elliott Dimaculangan was a welcoming surprise for Hanson. “He really shined as a shooting guard last year and stepped up in some big moments, which is hard to do as a freshman — to have that courage to take big shots in big situations.”

While Hanson recognizes that pressure mounts for both his athletes and himself as the start of the regular season inches closer. There’s been extra “urgency” this preseason for players to become well acquainted with the team’s new additions. This was especially apparent during the squad’s first practice on Oct 15. “We’re behind where we were, because there’s not as much carryover with so many new guys,” said Hanson.

Regardless of early season huddles, Hanson is looking to take down SFU’s first opponent of the season, Western Washington, just like they did last season. “Our season opener is December 3 against Western Washington. We went 2–0 against them last year, and that was a team that’s always tough to defeat,” he said. “We take that with pride every time we play them. We want to knock off our closest rival.”

Part of securing a winning record is getting wins when having home court advantage, something Hanson says has been a strength of the team since he took over as coach in 2016. “I think it’s so hard to win on the road in this conference because the travel is so big and so long. We gotta be better on the road and continue to be really good at home,” he said. 

While the goal is for SFU to “win the conference” for the first time in history, with this many new players, Hanson is anticipating this year to be more of a learning curve for the team. “I’m not sure if this will be their year,” the coach admitted, “It really depends on how fast we gel. But we have the talent to compete with the top teams.” With it feeling like a team can win on “an any given night” in SFU’s division, said Hanson, it will be hard for the Red Leafs to be sitting in first after the regular season. However, Hanson is confident SFU will “be in the playoff hunt at the end of the season.”

The Student Learning Commons arranges a studying event with pigeons

By
Peak Web
-
0
Illustration of a pigeon flock with therapy sweaters gathered around SFU Burnaby’s library.
ILLUSTRATION: Raissa Sourabh / The Peak

By: Maya Beninteso, Peak Associate

BREAKING NEWS — The Student Learning Commons (SLC) at SFU is saying soar-y after their catastrophic “studying with pigeons” event held last Thursday afternoon. This event’s mandate was to help prepare students for exams in advance, but it only proved that the early bird does not, in fact, get the worm. The SLC’s attempt to be original by ditching the traditional puppy therapy completely and rapidly flew over their head. 

Several reports detailed pigeons violently attacking students during the event, leaving no student unscathed. Over 50 students were injured badly enough to warrant hospital stays, but not enough to warrant an excused absence from class or an exam. The Peak obtained an excerpt of an email sent by a professor to one of the injured students. The professor, whose identity is being kept secret until feather investigation is done, wrote to the student: “Having a scratched cornea and complete loss of eyesight is no excuse for missing my class. Consider your medical note null and void. I will see you in class tomorrow. Sent from my iPhone.” In solidarity, the student’s classmates released 130 pigeons in the following lecture, where the professor sustained a minor scratch on their arm. The professor stated they would be cancelling their following lecture in order to deal with this “medical emergency.” 

Beyond the attack of the pigeons, several event attendees reported that the event turned fowl at the end. The floor was not only covered in the tears of struggling students, but further covered in pigeon feces. As if exam season wasn’t shitty enough already. In an interview with The Peak, one feather-covered student could only manage to utter, “W-white . . . white . . . so much white.” The only thing that the SLC achieved in this event wasn’t helping students study, but adding to the traumatic experiences of SFU students. 

The Peak reached out to the library dean, who is suspiciously named Gwen Bird, and received an interesting statement. In a statement to The Peak, Bird said, “I sincerely apologize for the events that transpired at the SLC’s studying with pigeons initiative. In attempting to kill two birds with one stone by cultivating an environment conducive to studying, we cultivated one of horror. As the library dean, my only wish is to witness the students soar. As the bir— I mean, kids say, that wasn’t coo coo— I mean, cool. I guess you can’t beak— I mean, beat puppy therapy. To anyone who attended the event, we will do our best to deal with this as per the appropriate pecking order.” 

Social media is outraged by the, clearly bird-biased, response to the tragic events. The hashtags #GwenFlewOverTheCuckoosNest and #PigeonGate have since been attached to over 13,000 posts. While SFU’s beloved Joy Johnson has yet to speak on the recent events, SFU’s student body has spoken — you’re either on the side of pigeons, or on the side of justice. 

Memories of Pasta Amore

By
Peak Web
-
0
Family eating Italian dinner and cheers in a fancy restaurant
PHOTO: Davey Gravy / Unsplash

By: Saije Rusimovici, SFU student

My great uncle Claudio grew up with a spoon in his hand. Raised in northern Italy, his passion for cooking carried him through every stage of his life, and left a legacy for his children and grandchildren to follow. 

We occasionally visited his restaurant, Pasta Amore, for family functions. When I was sixteen, I got my first job working for him. Our shared connection to food strengthened my relationship to my Italian culture. Now, I’m proud to call him a friend and mentor.

For five years, I watched uncle Claudio impress, inspire, and comfort people with his dishes. There was no need for flair or fancy — the plates were simple, homestyle Italian recipes with no special ingredients. 

Uncle Claudio didn’t adjust his palate to what was on-trend. The pasta dishes he prepared were made with the simplest of ingredients. I can still taste the richness of his tortellini, tossed in a silky alfredo sauce that can’t be matched by anyone else’s recipe (not even my mom’s). Potato gnocchi swimming in creamy pesto sauce was also a customer favourite. Pasta Amore had something for everyone, from basic spaghetti and meatballs to delicate entrees of veal topped with decadent, sauteed mushrooms. 

Thinking about these dishes now takes me back to earlier years, when Costa-Rican born head waiter, Israel, helped me with my Spanish homework at the bar between shifts. These memories bring back the sounds of the place: the chattiness of the old Italian men over two plates of pasta, the customer who gushed their hellos before settling into a table, and the regulars who celebrated their milestones with us. Pasta Amore was not only a space where people ate, but a space where people felt they belonged. 

When Pasta Amore closed due to urban development in the area, uncle Claudio retired. I was devastated. It felt like I was losing a part of myself, the link to my Italian culture, and coworkers who had become family. It was very difficult for me to see our doors close. 

Behind the scenes, something else was on its way. Uncle Claudio’s legacy was carried on by his two sons. My cousins, with an homage to their father, opened up a new restaurant called Claudio’s. The recipes I grew up with have taken new shapes, providing that same homey feeling with an elevated twist. My hope is that a new generation of foodies will be inspired by Claudio’s food in the same way I was at sixteen. I hope they feel the same sense of belonging I felt at Pasta Amore through a shared love for Italian culture and most importantly, good food. 

Sports made me feel full of life

By
Peak Web
-
0
photo of Simran Sarai holding a photo of her when she was battling cancer
PHOTO: Simran Sarai / The Peak

By: Simran Sarai, Sports Writer

When I was five-years-old, my parents registered me in soccer. I loved it, and I especially loved kicking the ball around with my twin brother and younger brother. I had the best year of my life.

When I was six-years-old, I was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (blood cancer). As a kid, I didn’t really understand what cancer was, or why I was suddenly in a hospital bed being poked and prodded by scary looking — albeit very nice and apologetic — nurses and doctors. 

I did know that nothing would ever be the same. Life as I knew it was turned upside down. The one constant I had was soccer, and the community that came with it. Throughout my two years of treatments, my coaches and teammates made sure I knew that I was still a part of my team. Even if that meant just sitting on the sideline, wearing multiple touques to keep my bald little head warm.

After I went into remission, I knew I wanted nothing more than to head back onto the field. At eight-years-old, I had a massive chip on my shoulder, and a lot to prove. Two years away from sports had left me behind the other girls. I remember running in an elementary school cross country race in one of the first years after completing treatment. I was so slow — I came 62nd. I was frustrated. But while my stamina was gone, my competitive streak was not. I kept running and playing soccer, and while I wasn’t extraordinary, I was committed. Soccer, cross country, and track and field were the sports I loved and probably always will.

I never told my teammates or coaches about my medical history, if I could help it. I graduated high school before my track coach even found out, and I wasn’t even the one to tell him. There’s this look that washes over people’s faces when you tell them you had cancer as a child, and the look is not one I love. There’s no ill-intent behind it, but it makes me feel as if people expect less from me, and that’s not the way I want to live any aspect of my life.

From the time I was diagnosed, soccer and running kept me grounded. I am so fortunate to have had the ability to keep playing and running after my diagnoses, especially when I know this isn’t the case for so many other kids. Growing up playing sports allowed me to grow into a version of myself that felt confident taking risks and challenging the limits of what I was capable of — whether that was in athletics, academics, or another area of life. Soccer and track gave me lifelong memories with my brothers and friendships I will cherish forever. Although I don’t really play organized sports anymore, I give a silent little thanks each time I hit the track or pitch. I know every crappy weather practice or losing game kept me going and led me to exactly where I am now.

Milk & Bone unveil striking electro-pop album, Chrysalism

By
Peak Web
-
0
Laurence Lafond-Beaulne and Camille Poliquin (Milk & Bone) in blue lighting
PHOTO: Bonsound

By: Petra Chase, Art & Culture Editor

Montreal-based electro-pop duo Milk & Bone just released their third album, Chrysalism, a word defined by the Dictionary of Obscure Sorrows as the “tranquility of being indoors during a thunderstorm.” Thematically, I listened to the album as Vancouver started its much-needed pouring spree. Rain pattered on my window as the synth arpeggios echoed in the four walls of my living room, giving me the sensation of Pop Rocks candy crackling through my body.

While Milk & Bone’s sugar-coated vocal harmonies and electronic production create addictive cyborgian melodies, the lyrics about love, longing and heartbreak ground the album. As their first release since the pandemic started, the songs are told from the perspective of “actors in the storyline of their lives.”

“Object of Fun” perfectly demonstrates the sense of agency embedded in their lyrics. Their affirmations against the male gaze like, “I’m a person of earth too / I equal all my sums,” beckon you to sing along and reclaim your subjectivity.

My favourite track and the album opener, “Bigger Love,” carries feelings of longing with electrifying intensity. Milk & Bone’s vocal harmonies cut into the synth soundscape like sharp lasers as the melody builds up in speed and intensity to the declaration “I’m not moving I’m not going / You’re gonna have to remove me with a truck.” The bridge that follows is blissful and perfect for stomping through puddles.

“Borders” struck me immediately by its ethereal ambiance alongside feelings of hope and longing that felt relatable. The climactic storytelling matches the sense of urgency in the melody as the duo unravels the story of a long-distance relationship falling apart.

“A Little Better Every Time” is an angelic ballad with heartbreaking lyrics “steeped in both fury and tenderness.” It captivates the raw emotions that accompany standing up for yourself and beginning to heal. When they sang “getting better with the breakdowns,” I really felt that.

The talented voices and musicians behind the name Milk & Bone are Laurence Lafond-Beaulne (Soft Fabric) and Camille Poliquin (KROY). They won the Juno Award for Electronic Album of the Year in 2019 after a nomination for Breakthrough Group of the Year in 2016. Chrysalism solidifies that they’re going places.

1...226227228...1,431Page 227 of 1,431

Simon Fraser University’s independent student newspaper since 1965.

Contact us: [email protected]

© The Peak Publications Society 1965-2024

Simon Fraser University’s independent student newspaper since 1965.

Contact us:
[email protected]

© The Peak Publications Society 1965-2024