Five Songs We Listened To This Week While Acting Like We Didn’t Watch the AMAs

The unofficial award season began this week with the highly anticipated 2025 edition of the American Music Awards. Because we’re so cool and edgy, we couldn’t be bothered to watch. It’s about ethics, and mainstream music is at its best, unethical and at its worst, kinda totally lame. To prove how committed to this bit we are, here are five ‘alternative’ songs we listened to this week since we totally weren’t shrieking at the top of our lungs when Billie Eilish allegedly fuckin’ swept that shit.

Wet Leg ‘CPR’

It wasn’t too long ago that you would hear the words ‘wet leg’ and immediately think of some non-existent fungal disease that occurs when you leave one leg in the pool for too long. Thanks to modern pharmaceutical breakthroughs and the help of a New Zealand rock outfit, we now just think of getting down when Wet Leg is mentioned. Their latest single ‘CPR’ strongly affirms the association with an unrelenting backbeat that would have us moving if we knew how to dance.

The World Is A Beautiful Place and I Am No Longer Afraid To Die ‘Beware The Centrist’

Guiness World Record holders for longest goddam band name The World Is A Beautiful Place and I Am No Longer Afraid To Die – often abbreviated as TWIABP which, honestly, is still kind of pushing it – have dropped a new track ‘Beware The Centrist.’ Stylistically, it finds the band digging into their hardcore inclinations. It’s a blazing and cathartic ride. Coming in at under two minutes it will speed past you literally faster than you can say ‘the world is a beautiful place and I am no longer afraid to die.’

Bright Eyes ‘A Song To Pass The Time’

In case your saddest, most concerning friend hasn’t already mumbled to you about it in passing, Bright Eyes’ landmark album ‘Fevers and Mirrors’ celebrated its 25th anniversary this week. Said friend celebrated by locking themselves in a dark room and listening to the album on loop for a full 48 hours. Conor Oberst, on the other hand, marked the occasion with a new sprawling piano rendition of ‘A Song To Pass The Time.’ It adds a delightful ‘hopeful but still sad’ vibe to the original’s ‘sad but still hopeful’ vibe.
A Song to Pass The Time (2025) by Bright Eyes

Holy Fawn ‘Beneath A Lightless Star’

‘Holy Fawn’? More like ‘Holy Fucking Shit’ amirite? The Phoenix trio has notoriously avoided classification since their formation in 2015, and their latest offering ‘Beneath A Lightless Star’ does little to clear things up. The track starts off serenely. For a full minute it lulls you through a lo-fi dreamy soundscape before slamming you head-first into a wall of sonic obliteration. Just when you think you have your bearings, the genres flip again, as if the band is doing some bizarre ‘evolution of post-hardcore’ bit. It’s as confusing as it is exhilarating, and you might never recover.

Neck Deep ‘You Should See Me Now’

In case you missed it, Welsh pop-punk heroes Neck Deep are back with their first new music since last year’s self titled LP. ‘You Should See Me Now’ is a cathartic and empowering anthem that plays out like a particularly productive therapy session held in the stock room of a Hot Topic. With hooks for days, it’s highly possible you’ll be involuntarily singing the chorus out loud to yourself as your increasingly concerned friends look on.

Now that you are certifiably too cool to listen to music normal people have heard of, you’re probably looking to feed that personality even more. You monster. Normally we wouldn’t advise further alienating yourself, but we already have a playlist, so why not share it? Check out every song we’ve ever listened to (in 2025) below:

Once Obscure Dr. Seuss Book “Oh, The Ways You’re Fucked!” Popular Gift for Graduating Seniors

NEW YORK — Random House Children’s Books official reissue of the long-dismissed 1991 Dr. Seuss manuscript “Oh, The Ways You’re Fucked!” is quickly becoming the go-to gift for graduating seniors bracing for life in the rent-gouged, atmosphere boiling, politically divided, AI fueled nightmare world of adults, confirmed sources.

“Parents used to give grads ‘Oh, The Places You’ll Go!’ with a nice check tucked inside but kids need to know just how bleak it is out there right now,” said Sharon Delvecchio, Senior Editor at Random House Children’s Books showing the cover featuring a Truffula tree on fire. “This reissue is way more in tune with their vibe—and by vibe, I mean the existential dread that the world is spiraling toward its conclusion…but in rhyming verse. Reviewers have called it ‘delightfully grim’ and ‘enjoyably distressing.’”

However, according to some college graduates, the book may be a bit too honest.

“I opened it expecting whimsy and hope but by page five I was openly weeping into my cap and gown. It straight-up says, ‘Now you have the smarts and that important degree! But there’s no job for you without an unpaid internship, maybe three,’” said Bailey Kim, a recent graduate from NYU, while refilling her Klonopin. “It has these weird creatures like The Leaselock Fox and a town of middle-managers called The Superfluffus. One creature is called The Trumpelbluff—it’s an ominous, amorphous orange blob threatening global domination; which seems kinda’ prophetic for 1991.”

Academic experts believe the new edition will resonate deeply with Gen Z.

“The world has changed. Today’s graduates don’t need to be told they’ll soar—they need to know what to do when their wings are clipped by a third-party gig platform,” said Dr. Mina Rojas, a cultural sociologist at Columbia. “It’s also good the book is mostly pictures considering today’s college graduates only read at a 5th grade level. One page is just the Lorax’s rotting corpse with no words. I mean, the opening lines of the book say it all: ‘Congratulations, I guess, but the world’s a mess. You planned for adventure, to go here, there, and in between—Instead it’s four decades hunched behind a computer screen.’”

At press time, the book’s success already prompted plans for Random House to release “Apollo Global Management Guts The Chocolate Factory.”

Yeah Dude, We Know: Billie Joe Armstrong Just Revealed “Longview” Is About Jacking Off

You can’t deny that Green Day’s “Dookie” is a legendary album. Therefore, when we heard that frontman Billie Joe Armstrong had given a tell-all interview regarding its first single “Longview”, we just had to twist an article out of it. To say we were let down when his big reveal turned out to be that it was about jacking off would be a huge understatement. Yeah, dude. We knew that already.

According to the interview, Armstrong apparently thought he was conveying new information by telling his interviewer that he got the song’s inspiration while sitting around in a fit of self-indulgent Onanism. Honestly, how fucking stupid does he think we are? What did he think we thought the song was about, anyway? Golf? Unbelievable.

OK, we suppose we’ll give him the benefit of a doubt. Maybe he thinks people don’t pay close attention to what he’s saying in his music. Smartphones have probably killed some of our innate curiosity with stuff like that, and it’s not like MTV plays “Say What?” anymore. Perhaps we’re being too tough on him, and it’s really not a big deal that he said this in his interview.

Actually, fuck that. He clearly says the word “masturbation” in the song. We take back that last paragraph. How insulting can a guy be to his fans? We’ve been listening to his music for the last 30 years. Well, to be fair, we’ve been casually aware of his music for 30 years. Still, he should be more cognizant of the average intelligence of people who are aware of his music. How out of touch has he gotten over the past three decades?

It’s not like we were expecting the scoop of the century, here, just something interesting. What’s next? Is Vitamin C going to tell us “Graduation (Friends Forever)” is about graduation? Is John Fogerty going to reveal that “Centerfield” is about baseball? For fuck’s sake, dude. Throw us a bone.

Oh well, we guess we’ll just move on from this and try to put more thought into our pitches going forward. Actually, we just read the rest of the interview, and it turns out Armstrong also revealed that “Dookie’s” artwork is a reference to the fall of the Berlin Wall. Goddamnit. That’s much more interesting. We really should have read the entire thing before we wrote this.

Straight Edge High Schoolers Don’t Need Booze to Not Have Fun at Prom

SIMSBURY, Conn. — Local straight edge high schoolers recently stated that their commitment to living a drug- and alcohol-free lifestyle will have no effect on their ability to be completely miserable at their upcoming prom, confirmed sources.

“I don’t need society’s poisons to dress up, have a terrible time at an overpriced event hall, and follow it up with immensely mediocre sex that will be both a reality-shattering disappointment and also shape every kink and fetish of mine til I die. I can do that all on my own,” said 18-year-old Josh Michaels. “My friends look out for me like family. Our minds and bodies are free of that shit. I wanna be stone sober when I listen to some DJ in his 40s, who openly hits on the girls in my class, play the worst semi-popular songs from two decades ago, while also trying to sneak in stuff from his mixtape. Just like the X on the back of my hand, I’m not going anywhere. I’m gonna sit through his whole terrible set.”

Prom king and stereotypically handsome quarterback Todd Bretson found their aversion to substances off-putting.

“They’re such nerds,” said Bretson. “The whole point of prom is to get ripped and make terrible decisions. How else are they gonna set into motion events that have severe repercussions well beyond middle-age, negatively affecting their ability to have both healthy adult friendships and sexual relationships until they inevitably take their regret and sadness out on their own underachieving kids, if they aren’t completely shit-housed? Fucking dorks.”

While the majority of their classmates may find the straight edge movement strange, members of the faculty have been very supportive of those students who wish to have an awful experience at prom while sober.

“It’s refreshing to see that some high schoolers fully reject the pull of drugs and alcohol, while also freely admitting that prom is gonna be just awful. It’s very brave of them,” said calculus teacher and prom chaperone Madeline Felton. “I mean, I won’t be sober. How could I be? You think prom is bad as a teenager, try being an adult. I’m watching these kids attempt to convince themselves they are having a good time, when we all know the world is fucked and the planet will only be livable for another 25 years, tops. Am I really supposed to do that without the help of the Captain? I don’t think so. Between you and me, I’m usually a little buzzed while teaching class anyway.”

At press time, Michaels was overheard saying he didn’t need drugs to go into life-ruining debt from student loans.

Study Finds You Can Just Walk Out of Target With Stuff and You Probably Won’t Get Caught

ANN ARBOR, Mich. — A new study from the University of Michigan revealed that you can basically just walk out of Target with stuff and you most likely won’t get caught.

“We employed longitudinal, observational, and participatory research design methodologies to evaluate the practical efficacy of Unauthorized Merchandise Liberation (UML) within Target retail environments over an 18-month period,” said lead researcher Monica Carter. “Participants were randomly assigned to one of two cohorts: the first received Enhanced Theft Training (ETT), which included targeted instruction in situational awareness, eye contact mitigation strategies, and strategic tote deployment; the second received no preparatory training. Our findings suggest, with a high degree of confidence, that individuals can, in fact, remove merchandise from Target with minimal risk of intervention or consequence.”

Local punk Burt Mars expressed confusion about why anyone would need to study something so “obvious.”

“I steal from Target all the time,” said Mars. “Like, all the time. My whole week is basically: wake up at noon, go to Target, take stuff, meet up with my girlfriend, then we both go back to Target and take more stuff, get burgers, hit Target again, and then either go to a show, hang at Jinx’s place, or, if we’re bored, just go back to Target and, y’know… take stuff. I don’t even need most of it. It’s just, like, really easy and kinda fun. They should let me be in one of the studies or whatever. I’d be so good at it.”

Dr. Sarah Bundt, a humanities professor at the University of Southern California, has spent the last three years advocating for the formal recognition of Retail Extrication Studies (RES) as an interdisciplinary academic field.

“While this study from the University of Michigan may certainly help, the academy has historically been reluctant to legitimize theft as praxis—and, by extension, as a valid subject of academic inquiry,” Bundt explained, standing beside a whiteboard diagram labeled “Fluidity of Ownership in Monopsony Capitalism.” “I’ve tried. I’ve applied for grants under titles like ‘Kinetic Redistribution Theory’ and ‘Reclaiming the Aisle.’ Still, reviewers keep writing things like, ‘This is just stealing,’ and, ‘It’s already pretty obvious that taking things from Target without paying is easy,’ in the margins.”

At press time, a follow-up study revealed that the same logic likely also applies for Wal-Mart and most definitely Kohl’s.

What the Microplastics in Your Brain Say About You

As if the world wasn’t already falling apart, now you can add the microplastics piling up in your brain to the heap of trouble. But nobody said this had to be a bummer experience. Perspective matters. Get to know the microplastics inside you!

Befriend the nearly-invisible cluster of leftover matter nestled into your grey matter. Take confidence and pride in your new free-loading friends. Just like astrological signs or Turkish coffee stains, the microplastics inside your head reveal a lot about you. And I’m talking about the real you, the you “deep down.” Check out our examples below to see what song the plastic in your cranium sings to the world.

Polyethylene terephthalate

Found in synthetic clothing and plastic bottles, having this mixed into your brain means you are a fast fashion icon who’s always “on the go,” turning heads with new constant looks, mostly because the clothes break down after 2 weeks. The consumption from your monthly shopping alone triples the Great Pacific Garbage Patch.

Polypropylene
This microplastic is found mostly in food packaging, which means we have a foodie here. You’re a natural-born culinary genius with a flair for the kitchen. And of course by cooking, we mean unthawing processed meals in your oven. You’re a hopeless romantic for “home-cooked” meals, like your family’s secret DiGiorno Pizza prep. The fledgling worms nesting on your fleshy-plastic brain mush will live longer on the processed pepperoni. Thriving!

Polystyrene
Found in foam packaging, which means your love language is gift-giving. It is so thoughtful that you are constantly buying foam-packaged gifts for your loved ones, safely boxed for their convenience. The memories may be temporary but the unboxing runoff of molecular plastic contorting our cells into malignant masses lasts forever.

Polyvinyl chloride

Commonly found in flooring and pipes, this microplastic means you’re a regular working-class citizen that loves getting dirty. Maybe you’re a carpenter, forced to work with shoddy materials purchased at bulk for discount rates. Don’t worry, the additives will make it impossible for you to ever formally draw together any complaints due to cognitive deterioration.

Polycarbonate

Found in CDs and electronics, this means you’re a total tech-head nerd squad regular with entrepreneurial spirit. Congratulations poindexter, guess all your studying couldn’t save you from a billion year decomposition thanks to the microplastics permanently encased in your skull. At least you made some sweet mixtapes along the way.

If you can’t connect with the microplastics in your brain, there are always other options. Perhaps consider moving into a rustic aged house. Perfect especially for an “old soul” willing to try new experiences, as long as they’re willing to put up with a dollop of asbestos and a sprinkling of lead.

Potassium-Deficient Punk Switching from Steel Reserve to 99 Bananas

CLEVELAND, Ohio — Punk stalwart Dave “Mel-Mel” Ryans made the switch from the popular malt liquor Steel Reserve, sometimes known as 211, to infamous liqueur brand 99 Bananas after doctors revealed a startling potassium deficiency, confirmed head-tilting sources.

“The doctors told me my Vitamin P or whatever was really low, but the night before I had done a bunch of whip-its at a house party show and I think nitrous lowers your potassium or something. My homie Scott was telling me something like that I think,” said Ryans. “But anyways, what was I talking about again? Oh yea, nitrous, wait, no, the potassium thing. I started drinking those 99 Bananas from the corner store because I know fruit has a ton of vitamins, especially liquid fruit. Half a bottle a day should get my levels back on track.”

Friends of Ryans expressed excitement for their newfound passion for self-care.

“Mel-Mel’s signature combo is Steel Reserve and Camel Wides, and while it’s a little bittersweet to see that go, I am very excited to see them embrace healthier choices,” remarked friend Daffney Fallwell, while drinking diet Dr. Pepper. “I think it was the right choice and it influenced me to pursue my own forms of self-care. For example, I just blocked my boss’ number and stopped showing up to work, which has done amazing things for my mental health. Either way, I’m happy for Mel-Mel, even though he smells like a banana smoked a cigarette.”

Primary care physician Dr. Kenneth Knudd found himself amazed by Ryans’ ability to adapt their immune system to extreme circumstances.

“Quite frankly, I would go as far as to classify this as a medical anomaly,” Dr. Knudd stated. “The amount of alcohol, nicotine, caffeine, THC, and occasional LSD and cocaine in the patient’s system is enough to lead to serious consequences. But there has been no long-term damage, at least for now. Incredible. However, Dave should really understand that 99 Bananas is a liqueur with artificial flavoring, and contains no actual potassium content. My advice would be to maybe eat an actual banana and to drink a glass of water every few days.”

At press time, Ryans made the decision to switch from Camel Filters to Camel Crush Menthol, after a dentist visit inspired them to have better breath.

Unplanned, Unbuilt Trump Presidential Library Preemptively Filing for Chapter 11

PALM BEACH, Fla. — Despite existing only as a series of crudely sketched plans on cocktail napkins and one AI-generated image architects have described as “defying the law of physics,” the Trump Presidential Library has formally filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, confirmed sources.

“While no physical location, architectural plans, or tangible fundraising efforts currently exist, the library has still somehow amassed over $731 million in debt to various vendors, contractors, and a man who claims to have had homosexual intercourse with President Obama,” said project spokesperson Tim Kole. “Supposing that a semblance of a plan will take shape by 2030, with inflation due to tariffs, that brings the number closer to $2.8 billion. We see this not as a failure, but as a strategic pivot in the spirit of American enterprise. Like Trump Steaks, Atlantic City, or the Fyre Festival.”

White House staff claim that site plans included a gift shop, banquet hall, and a “Trump’s Patriots Reflection Lounge,” with no mention of archival materials.

“The Trump Presidential Library was always intended to be less of a library in the traditional sense and more of a place for whites, three blacks, and one gay to worship the 47th President,” said White House Press Secretary Karoline Claire Leavitt. “The ‘Reading Room’ was going to be a dark hallway that just played Trump rally clips on loop. The ‘Research Wing’ was going to be a hat kiosk. The media wing would have played ‘Fox and Friends’ on a 24-hour loop.”

Legal experts say the filing marks the first time in U.S. history a building not yet planned in any formal sense has declared bankruptcy.

“The only real physical asset appears to be a signed copy of ‘The Art Of The Deal,’ unless you count an 80-foot bronze statue of the president that they just have on hand in case anyone needs one,” said bankruptcy attorney Kebby Munch, leafing through the 3,439-page filing. “Unfortunately, most courts don’t recognize personal branding as collateral. It’s frankly impressive. There is no precedent for a bankrupt non-entity.”

At press time, organizers were optimistic after a GoFundMe launched to “Protect The Economic Integrity and Patriotism Of Trump Library for Whites” raised more than $500 million.

Okay, What I Meant Was, Do My Research on Vaccines

First of all, I want to say, I’m impressed. Usually when I tell people “Do your own research” that’s the end of the conversation and I assume I’ve won. The last thing I expected was for you to come at me a week later with verified links, study reports and medical journals proving conclusively that vaccines do not cause autism and install government tracking technology. Unfortunately, and I really can’t apologize enough, it was all for nothing. It seems I misspoke in our previous conversation. What I meant to say was “Do the research I did on vaccines, no more and no less.” Again, very sorry for the mixup and for wasting your time.

I didn’t mean for you to meticulously comb a bunch of accredited information sources and get opinions from doctors and healthcare professionals. I meant for you to smoke a little too much weed and dive headfirst into the manosphere podcasts and conspiracy theories. Maybe go through a divorce, get that sense of reality nice and limber so you’re ready for the truth when it comes. Boy is my face red for steering you wrong on this one.

What do you say we go again, and I’ll set you on the right course this time. I’m texting you a tweet from Eric Clapton, start here. The comment section is one of the most illuminating treatise on the subject to date!

Okay, you’re upset. I get it. I can see you actually put a lot of work into this, and all because I made the mistake of assuming your algorithm would lead you down the same far-right rabbit hole mine did. Maybe you should order more knives? My suggested pages got way better the more I ordered knives off of the internet.

Look, it’s not like you did a perfect job anyway. I’m looking at these links you sent me and I don’t see a single clip from The Joe Rogan Experience. You’ve got something here from the MAYO clinic? That sounds like a pedo thing. Honestly, I think overall this did more harm than good for you.

I’m more than willing to keep this flow of civil discourse going, just as long as said civil discourse ends in me being right and not some idiot loser like I’m afraid I am. Just let me pop a few DayQuil and get a nap in, my allergies are really bad right now. Everyone at my office has super bad allergies this week.

Kid Rock Caps off Kennedy Center Concert With Woody Guthrie Cover “Mein Kampf Is Your Kampf”

WASHINGTON — Kid Rock capped off his concert at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts with a cover of Woody Guthrie’s “This Land is Your Land” titled “Mein Kampf is Your Kampf,” sources confirmed.

“I always heard ‘This Land is Your Land’ growing up, but when I found out Woody Guthrie was a bitch ass commie I knew this concert was the perfect time to remix his wack phonograph shit into a new dope ass patriotic anthem for the MAGA era,” said Kid Rock, gripping a pen with his fist to write ‘This Masheen Kills Fauci-ists’ on his guitar. “So me and the homie Stephen Miller hit the studio and he said ‘American Badass, meet the OG German Badass’ and slid me a copy of ‘Mein Kampf.’ Next thing you know we recorded some fire panty droppin’ shit that fine high school bitches can shake their asses to at their segregated prom.”

Kennedy Center director Richard Grenell praised the performance, and promised a calendar full of conservative hitmakers in the coming year.

“If you enjoyed the statutory stylings of acclaimed poet laureate Kid Rock, well you’re going to love what we’ve got planned for Diddy’s three-month residency after he receives his Presidential pardon this summer,” said Grenell. “But in the meantime, we’ve got a thrilling concert lineup including Rudy Giuliani’s Rootin’ Tootin’ Ragtime Band, Ku Klux King Gizzard and the Grand Lizard Wizard, and Ted Nugent shooting an AR-15 at a pile of instruments confiscated from an HBCU marching band.”

Part-time President and full-time Kennedy Center chairman Donald Trump was pleased with the performance’s frequent intermissions to heap praise on the GOP leader.

“Wasn’t Kid Rock wonderful folks? You’re very lucky I arranged this magnificent concert after years of biased and unfair performances from woke charity cases like Elton John and Tina Turner, not to mention the talentless children in the Libera Boys Choir who destroyed the Beach Boys beautiful music,” said Trump, snatching the microphone from a paraplegic veteran during the National Anthem. “Many people are saying the Kennedy Center would never recover after Obama ran it into the ground, and that he wouldn’t let Cat Stevens perform until he changed his name to Yusuf Islam. Well I’ll let him beg for an opening act slot if he agrees to change his name to Greg Catholic.”

At press time, Kid Rock was working on a new N.W.A. cover, “Fund Tha Police.”