The Rabbit Hole July 2024

We are halfway through 2024...how?!

Hello, friends! I write this newsletter on July 4th, America’s birthday, and this Independence Day feels pretty despairing — between the U.S. funding and condoning a genocide in Palestine to the Supreme Court granting Donald Trump presidential immunity (!) to two very old white men running for the presidency, I’m not feeling particularly patriotic. But as a mom of a toddler, I still put on my game face, because goddammit I’m going to help my daughter see the world through rose-colored lenses for as long as I humanly can.

When the world is such a dumpster fire, it does help (sometimes) to have pieces of content we can discover, lean into, and be inspired by. In this month’s issue (yes, I do realize I publish more quarterly than monthly, but forgive me, friends, I’m juggling a lot right now!), I’m sharing my three recommendations that made me think, sat with me for awhile, and brought me joy.

Recommendation #1: Dark Matter (Apple TV+)

My favorite conversation prompt this past year has been, “What would the multiverse version of you be doing right now?”, i.e., if you had made a different choice in your life, where would you be? Dark Matter, based on the science fiction novel by Blake Crouch, asks that very same question, and leans (very heavily) into the Schrodinger’s Cat thought experiment from quantum physics. In other words, if you were told that a cat was inside a black box, that cat is both alive and dead at the same time because its fate is linked to a random event that may (or may not) occur.

Basically, Dark Matter delves into the concept of multiverses, where singular choices in our lives create new variations and versions of ourselves. It’s mind-bending and confusing, but it’s such a good, chewy watch. (It also just ended, so you get to binge it all at once, you’re welcome.) There’s a lot of pop culture content on multi-verses lately, but this was one of my favorite ones.

Recommendation #2: The Bikeriders (Movie Theaters, for now)

The Bikeriders, directed by Jeff Nichols (Loving, Mud) and based on a photobook of the same name, depicts the rise and lives of the Vandals Motorcycle Club in Chicago in the 1960s & 70s. If I’m being honest, a film about a motorcycle club wasn’t super enticing to me, but I was going to the cinema with my family last night and my brother picked the movie, so I begrudgingly went along.

First off, let me share some of the cast: Tom Hardy. Jodie Comer. Austin Butler. Michael Shannon. Norman Reedus (any Walking Dead fans out there?!). HELLO.

This film was a masterclass in both acting and storytelling — I walked away caring deeply for all the characters, reading about the film afterwards, and thinking about it the next day. It’s a wonderfully surprising film, one I really enjoyed watching.

Also the chemistry between Jodie & Austin and their charisma on their press tour is really fun to watch, exhibit A below:

Recommendation #3: Coke Studio Season 15 (YouTube)

For the unintiated, Coke Studio Pakistan is the longest running annual music show in Pakistan (since 2008), and each year, the music and performances become a core part of the cultural zeitgeist (at least in the region and amongst the Diaspora). I’ve always loved how Coke Studio celebrates both old and new music, often bringing together classical musicians with newer artists in really joyous collaborations.

Season 15 of Coke Studio started airing this spring, and the vibe and color of this collection is really, really cool and fresh. Last week, Piya Piya Calling was released, a song exclusively produced for Coke Studio by rap duo Karpe, one of the biggest musical acts in Norway. The group was brought to Coke Studio via Quick Style, a Norweigen dance group that is global and very well known in Pakistan. The song features emerging Pakistani singer Kaifi Khalil and Norwegian Iranian singer Amanda Delara, and is such a beautiful mix and celebration of cultures and languages that feels so needed in the times we are living in. I’m sharing the rehearsal video above (as opposed to the official song video), because it made my heart so happy. All of the songs this season are a fun listen, so enjoy digging in.

Until next month (slash quarter), friends. x

Kals