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nishbae.bsky.social
nish bae
@nishbae.bsky.social
1.8K followers 770 following 3.4K posts
turn soft and lovely anytime you have a chance
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nishbae.bsky.social
Post 1: "Hang on I need to Google something to see if this is funny" Post 2: "I am now on a watchlist"
November 11, 2025 at 6:30 AM
nishbae.bsky.social
Man Door Hand Hook Car For in the Mamdani font
November 8, 2025 at 9:54 PM
nishbae.bsky.social
Outside of the album’s subject matter is where Getting Killed demonstrates its strangest tendencies. “Trinidad” is a concerted attempt to make blues music sound as unhinged as possible. The percussion cuts in and out, smashing around in the left and right channels as the sound fights to keep its structure. In between Winters screaming, “THERE’S A BOMB IN MY CAR” he details a life that’s crumbling in disturbing and surreal ways: “My son is in bed / My daughters are dead / My wife's in the shed / My husband's burning lead”. The manic cacophony of shouting and instrumental anarchy leads me to believe that the bomb is a threat; Winter’s last resort to crawl out of a doomed existence. “Cobra” is a devious following track. On a casual listen it might come across as bright and sentimental, but on a closer listen the instrumentals sound anxious and discordant. Harsh guitars tumble their way through the heavy bass at the periphery of the mix. When you notice this, the cheerful lead guitar and vintage keys sound intentionally misleading and a little uncanny. This is generally the approach on the whole album. Whatever simple arrangements the songs open with get cluttered by a grab bag of strange guitar flourishes and percussive elements that always sound just a bit out of place. “Husbands” lurches forward on each beat, as the various members create a complex indie rock palette. The percussion is the standout, sounding like a shambling, contorted beast of rhythm. The aforementioned “100 Horses” features Winter bellowing out his vocals as if he were giving a sermon. The rumbly, dirty riffs are excellent, and the piano that comes in towards the back half gives the song’s flurry of instrumentals that extra turbulence. The closer is the album’s most harrowing cut. The instrumentals anxiously rise in tempo around Winter, as if he were forcing them to accelerate under gunpoint. Eventually the band hits a breaking point, but then they just build the intensity right back up again. At points it’s a bit frightening, but also impressive at how far the band is able to push themselves. If you’re unsure whether these are compliments, that’s because I’m not quite sure either. Getting Killed is a frankly headscratching listen. I’ve enjoyed plenty of music that’s more abrasive and overstimulating, and yet it’s this specific mixture of layered, choppy instrumentals that I often find overwhelming to parse. That’s not to say these tracks are bad, but the generally approachable bluesy exterior of Getting Killed conceals a dense behemoth of complexity. Perhaps this is why, over a month following its release, I’m still left puzzled as to how I completely feel about the record. Not every track is as heavily layered, and there’s a small handful of subdued cuts that really benefit the album’s pacing, but I found it to be a surprisingly challenging listen. Do I recommend Getting Killed? Yeah I think I do. The multi-headed-hydra approach to songwriting makes this one of the most unique albums I’ve heard in ages, and Winter’s lyricism is consistently fantastic. I’m so glad that such a daring musical project is getting this much attention, and to be honest I think I prefer art when it leaves me confused and a little uncomfortable.
November 6, 2025 at 6:15 AM
nishbae.bsky.social
I have been struggling to figure out how I feel about Geese. When 3D Country dropped, I was mostly impressed by its unique take on the country aesthetic, but it never quite got its claws into me the way it did for others. When Cameron Winter dropped Heavy Metal late last year, I took it as an opportunity to really try and figure out what I had been missing. Truthfully, Heavy Metal’s more intimate approach resonated with me a lot more, and it would have probably ranked high on my list of best 2024 records had it not dropped so late in the year. In late September, Geese returned in full with Getting Killed, which I can best describe as being trapped in the Willy Wonka tunnel for 45 minutes. Winter’s lyrics read like a man crashing out over his breakup in real time. He’s antagonistic towards his former lover on “Cobra” while also yearning for her. He follows up on this situation during “Au pays du cocaine” where he’s willing to put himself in an obviously unhealthy situation for her: “Baby, you can stay with me and nobody would care / You can stay with me and just pretend I’m not there”. He’s fighting with his ex-lover’s new partner on “Half-Real” but eventually concedes and begs to be spared from his anguish: “I've got half a mind / To just pay for the lobotomy / And tell 'em, ‘Get rid of the bad times / And get rid of the good times too’”. He spends much of the first two thirds in anguish over this breakup, and eventually tries to find god to bring him out of turmoil. He attempts to reform his life in devotion to God on “Bow Down”, but an angel challenges him: “She said ‘You don't know what it's like / To bow down to Maria's dead bones’”. Winter speaks to several different deceased figures on the closing track, “Long Island City Here I Come” looking for guidance in his art and receiving hard truths in return: "A masterpiece belongs to the dead / There are microphones under your bed / And there's footage that will prove us both wrong". Here, Long Island City is a metaphor for the afterlife, and he ends the song by describing a handful of characters that either fight against, or embrace their own death. Winter ultimately chooses to embrace his. For how conceptual the album can feel, it occasionally detours into some other subject matter. “100 Horses” is an absurdist anti-war track featuring some of the most striking lines on the album: “He said that I would never smile again / But not to worry / For all people stop smiling / Once they get what they've been begging for”. I’m also moved by “Islands Of Men”, where Winter tries to convince a closeted trans woman to embrace who she truly is. I actually had no idea Geese had a transfem guitarist, and it’s sweet that he would include a track that would feel especially personal to her and the trans Geese fans.
November 6, 2025 at 6:14 AM
nishbae.bsky.social
Album Review - Getting Killed
Album Review Geese Getting Killed
November 6, 2025 at 6:13 AM
nishbae.bsky.social
A drawing I made of Misato drinking a Four Loko
November 4, 2025 at 10:47 PM
nishbae.bsky.social
i am obsessed with fluffy instagram dogs
some fluffy little dog I saw on instagram, face looks kinda flat my "artistic interpretation" of this dog and its flat face
November 3, 2025 at 3:20 AM
nishbae.bsky.social
"Santaverse" IT'S CALLED FUCKING CHRISTMAS
Elf On The Shelf figure. It's branded as "Santaverse"
November 1, 2025 at 9:36 PM
nishbae.bsky.social
Earlier this year I was commissioned to illustrate this 3-page comic. Unfortunately the author ripped me off and I was never paid, but I would still like to share my work with you because I am very happy with how it turned out 💜
Panel 1 - a girl and her robot walks to the entrance of a temple Panel 2 - A commander-looking man says something to his robot assistant Panel 3 - The assistant looks nervous Panel 4 - the girl tries to open a locked door. a snake sneaks up on her Panel 5 - The snake is about to strike but the girl sees it Panel 6 - the girl cuts the snake in half and her robot unlocks the door Panel 1 - The girl pushes some cobwebs aside Panel 2 - The girl avoid a spike trap Panel 3 - The girl navigates deeper into the temple Panel 4 - The girl walks past an old broken robot Panel 5 - The girl uses a crowbar to push open a brick wall Panel 6 - The girl and her robot attempt to break into the floor below Panel 1 - The girl and her robot hop into the floor below. It's some sort of computer room Panel 2 - The robot hacks a computer Panel 3 - A sentient plant vine sneaks up on them Panel 4 - The girl is about to be eaten by a huge plant monster. Her robot companion is still hacking
November 1, 2025 at 6:53 PM
nishbae.bsky.social
Day 31 #art
A hand catches lightning in a bottle
November 1, 2025 at 12:03 AM
nishbae.bsky.social
3 - Ultraviolence - The rock production does wonders for Lana. The first half of this album is a near-flawless run of tracks. It stumbles a bit in the second half but it sticks the landing with a great Nina Simone cover 2 - Norman Fucking Rockwell - Lana unshackles herself from the character she invented and writes her most honest work up to this point. Gorgeously produced, written and packed front-to-back with incredible songs. NFR permanently altered the trajectory of Lana’s career 1 - Did You Know That There’s A Tunnel Under Ocean Blvd - Lana invites a handful of collaborators to help her in crafting the most personal work of her career. In place of pop appeal, Lana creates a gorgeous piano-led singer-songwriter work of art
October 31, 2025 at 7:44 PM
nishbae.bsky.social
7 - Blue Banisters - Rough around the edges and way longer than it needed to be, but it features some of Lana’s best lyrics and a good handful of stellar cuts. Underrated! 6 - Violet Bent Backwards Over The Grass - For an obscure spoken-word album it’s surprisingly enjoyable. Jack Antonoff’s ambient soundscapes compliment Lana very well 5 - Honeymoon - Beautiful production, and a refinement of the Born To Die aesthetic. A bit inconsistent but worth it for the highlights 4 - Paradise - A damn solid EP building off the success of Born To Die. The short length makes it easier to digest and keeps the weaker cuts to a minimum. Essential early Lana
October 31, 2025 at 7:44 PM
nishbae.bsky.social
11 - Lust For Life - Outside of a few great moments, it’s a slog to get through. I’m glad Lana hasn’t tried to go this pop-centric since 10 - Lizzy Grant A.K.A. Lana Del Ray - An admirable first effort. More of a curiosity than anything, but there’s a few great songs that I wish got rerecorded or remastered 9 - Chemtrails Over The Country Club - Features some of Lana’s best songs (White Dress is an instant classic) but so much of this album is undercooked and dull. A disappointing followup to NFR 8 - Born To Die - Hasn’t aged as well as its immense popularity would suggest, but the first half is actually pretty decent. The production is still very distinct!
October 31, 2025 at 7:43 PM
nishbae.bsky.social
End of Lana month means my final ranking!
Ranking Every Lana Del Rey Record
October 31, 2025 at 7:42 PM
nishbae.bsky.social
Day 30 #art
a pink rabbit girl wears a floral crown
October 31, 2025 at 1:16 AM
nishbae.bsky.social
Many of the tracks on Ocean Blvd are led by quiet piano and gentle strings. This is nothing new for Lana, but this can sometimes lead to tracks on previous albums that sleepwalk through their runtime. That’s not the case here, and the slower cuts feature some of the album’s finest moments. Lana gives a beautiful vocal performance on “Sweet”, paired with subtle layered vocals that give her voice an added vibrancy. The instrumentals have a finality to them, as if Lana and her collaborators were performing the last song you’ll ever hear. Lana’s vocals effortlessly skip over the pastoral keys and acoustics of “Paris, Texas”, emphasizing the track’s adventurous spirit. It would make the perfect compliment to a 70’s fantasy film As for Lana’s lyrics, she’s more honest than ever. She gets even more candid about her family and shows a lot of inner turmoil, often looking to her family to find answers. The opener is a complex love song less focused on the person she’s fallen for, and more what they represent. She wants to start a family with him, a better family than the one she had growing up. The title track uses the titular “Tunnel Under Ocean Blvd” as a metaphor for the way Lana is closed off, alluding to being stuck in a fantasy: “...she's in a world, preserved, only a few have found the door / It's like Camarillo, only silver mirrors, running down the corridor”. It reminds me of her early career when Lana Del Rey was a character stuck in a hyperidealized version of America. Even though she’s left that narrative device behind, the insecurity and temptation to close herself off remains. “Kintsugi” is a lyrical highlight. Referencing the recent deaths of several family members, Lana is left heartbroken. Trying to find guidance, she reflects on the Japanese concept of Kintsugi, a form of repairing old pottery with gold and embracing the imperfections. She can only fill those cracks with gold if she’s willing to shatter the pot. For all the album's stellar moments, it does occasionally stumble. After the showstopping “A&W”, the album’s momentum grinds to a halt for two interludes and a decent, albeit safe track squished in the middle. The second interlude has some interesting production choices that almost sound like Pink Floyd, but the “Judah Smith Interlude” is a passage from Lana’s pastor, who has some questionable opinions on abortion and queer rights. It’s over four minutes long, really stretching the definition of “interlude”. The album has a confused finale as well. “Peppers” fully leans into hip-hop but it sounds scattered. The album’s baroque aesthetic gets contorted into this style, which certainly sounds unique but it’s more awkward than enjoyable. “Taco Truck x VB”, the final song, is actually two songs stitched together. The first half meanders a bit and frankly sounds unfinished. The latter half is an alternate version of “Venice Bitch” from NFR, trading the psychedelic sprawl of the original for a trap instrumental. It doesn’t sound terrible, but it’s a bizarre choice to conclude the album on. This would work much better as a bonus track, not the album’s final statement. Ocean Blvd does feature a couple headscratching moments, but otherwise it’s an incredible artistic statement from Lana. I would even go so far as to say that it features my favorite production on any Lana record. Her lyricism continues to evolve, growing more complex with every release. She proves that this new phase of career is just as, if not more, exciting than the output of her pop era.
October 30, 2025 at 9:35 PM
nishbae.bsky.social
The one-two punch of Chemtrails and Banisters proved to be a bit of a quantity over quality situation. The “new Lana” that embraced her singer-songwriter “beatnik poet” tendencies was at last fully formed, but often the tracks were underdeveloped outside of Lana’s inspired lyricism. Which brings us to Did You Know That There's a Tunnel Under Ocean Blvd, her latest release and one of the richest albums in her discography Ocean Blvd course corrects from the muted palette of her last two records and delivers a vibrant collection of tracks that show the album’s handful of producers in peak form. The title track sounds like Lana’s take on “Space Oddity”, with strings and a lumbering beat that give the vocals enough room to really take command. In the song’s back half the production soars; backing vocals and fuzzy guitars envelop the track, creating a gorgeous blend of psych rock and gospel. “Let The Light In” wanders softly towards its chorus, but it truly shines once Lana and Father John Misty begin harmonizing. Their voices compliment each other so well, you’d think they’ve been singing duets together their whole lives. It features some of the prettiest strings on the whole record, and the touches of guitar and whistling synths give everything a sentimental timelessness. There’s a quiet but brisk pace to “A&W”, led by an anxious guitar and piano instrumental that bubbles beneath Lana’s wispy vocals. It makes her performance sound scared and desperate, like she’s giving a testimonial in a court room. Around the 5 minute mark, this intimate confessional ballad gives way to a trap beat, transforming the track into something unrecognizable to its first half. Lana starts singing with an R&B swagger about a guy who “only love me when he wanna get high”. It sounds utterly bizarre but it’s genuinely one of the hypest moments on Ocean Blvd and it will probably get stuck in your head forever.
October 30, 2025 at 9:34 PM
nishbae.bsky.social
Album Review - Did You Know That There's A Tunnel Under Ocean Blvd
Album Review - Did You Know That There's A Tunnel Under Ocean Blvd
October 30, 2025 at 9:33 PM
nishbae.bsky.social
Day 29 #art
a black background with white lines: a drawing of a raccoon growling from a dumpster
October 29, 2025 at 9:07 PM
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Day 28 #art
A black and white self portrait. parts of the image are inverted
October 29, 2025 at 12:31 AM
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Day 27 #art
various rabbits maim and kill each other on a battlefield with guns, swords, explosives and flamethrowers
October 28, 2025 at 12:14 AM
nishbae.bsky.social
Lana often sings about her family, leading to some of her heaviest tracks. “Text Book” implies that Lana seeks a father figure in her romantic relationships: “I guess you could call it textbook / I was lookin' for the father I wanted back”. Her parents are mentioned again on “Wildflower Wildfires”, where Lana shows resentment towards her mother: “My father never stepped in when his wife would rage at me / So I ended up awkward but sweet.” Towards the end of the album, she tries to take these experiences and grow from them. She sings to her future daughter on “Cherry Blossoms”, hoping that she can be a better mother than the one who raised her. The album ends with a track that was actually co-written by her family. “Sweet Carolina” is a loving piano ballad towards Lana’s sister: “So don't write me a letter / I'll always be right here / Closer to you than your next breath, my dear”. Her vocal delivery is so cute, and it’s full of humour and family in-jokes: “‘Crypto forever,’ scrеams your stupid boyfriend / Fuck you, Kevin.” It’s moments like these that make the record one of Lana’s most lyrically potent. Even if she’s an ultra-rich chart topping singer, Blue Banisters proves she can still make her music sound genuine! It’s a shame that the strong lyricism is often paired with dull production. “Text Book” could have been great if it weren’t for the unfocused instrumentals and tempo changes that interrupt the song’s momentum. “If You Lie Down With Me”, “Beautiful” and "Violets For Roses” contribute to a big lul at the album’s centre, and after the jolt of energy that is “Dealer” and “Thunder”, the album drags its feet to the finish line with a handful of tracks that feature great lyrics but nothing musically to hold your attention. It’s far from Lana’s best, but Blue Banisters shows a lot of growth for her. If you can make it through the sleepy instrumentals and long runtime, you’ll find a new side to Lana that’s more confident, self-reflective and poetic.
October 27, 2025 at 11:35 PM
nishbae.bsky.social
With Blue Banisters and Chemtrails dropping within 7 months of each other, Lana had an incredibly prolific 2021. In contrast to Chemtrails, which grappled with higher concepts and a fuller sound, Blue Banisters is generally laid back and intimate. It contains some of Lana’s rawest lyrics and a handful of incredible moments, but it’s not her boldest statement. Lana describes Blue Banisters as a “defensive album”, an opportunity for her to respond to critics, ex-lovers and her personal struggles. Lana vents her frustration about covid quarantine and the constant scrutiny she experiences on “Black Bathing Suit”. She even alludes to how she gained weight over lockdown, taking pride in her body despite how others perceive her. It’s a love song, but I choose to believe it’s directed at the listener, encouraging us to embrace the many sides of her. “Dealer” is the album’s high point and one of her best breakup songs. The way she sings about her ex is so thorny!: “I don't wanna give you nothing / 'Cause you never give me nothing back / Why can't you be good for something? / Not one shirt off your back”. Miles Kane sounds amazing, his high-pitched southern accent is a perfect compliment to Lana. She screams over the chorus like she’s drunk and pissed off, it’s very fun.
October 27, 2025 at 11:33 PM
nishbae.bsky.social
Album Review - Blue Banisters
Album Review - Blue Banisters
October 27, 2025 at 11:32 PM
nishbae.bsky.social
Day 26 #art
my take on the cover of the ELO album cover "Time"
October 27, 2025 at 12:15 AM