Category: FIRE TAKES

  • Pinback is Back, Tonight

    Pinback is Back, Tonight

    What’s most surprising about Tonight is how unafraid Pinback is to stretch their palette. There are moments here that feel almost pop‑leaning — brighter melodies, cleaner hooks, and a kind of bubbliness that never surfaced in their earlier work. The record opens with “Carry Me,” an unexpectedly uplifting track about showing up for a friend…

  • A Concise, Loud, and Unexpectedly Intimate NIN Performance

    A Concise, Loud, and Unexpectedly Intimate NIN Performance

    Nine Inch Nails didn’t waste a second. The B‑stage pulled everyone in tight, collapsing the room until the whole show felt like it was happening at arm’s length. It was loud in that unmistakable NIN way — sharp, physical, impossible to ignore — but the set stayed surprisingly concise, moving with a precision that made…

  • How Bad Bunny Turned the Halftime Show Into a Music Video

    How Bad Bunny Turned the Halftime Show Into a Music Video

    Bad Bunny’s halftime show played out like a giant music video. The cameras stayed low and close, moving with him instead of treating the field like a stage. The geometric set gave every shot a clean shape, and the bold reds, blues, and golds made each section feel like its own scene. It was less…

  • My GFs Analysis of the Grammys

    My GFs Analysis of the Grammys

    Justin Bieber’s performance at the 2026 Grammys stuck out, not because of crazy theatrics or set design, but because of its simplicity. It said a lot with so little.

  • Joyce Manor: I Used To Go To This Bar Album Review

    Joyce Manor: I Used To Go To This Bar Album Review

    Joyce Manor is back with another fiery album under 20 minutes. The pop-punk trio from Torrance California lean into the nostalgia, sharpening their hooks and tightening their songwriting into something both familiar and freshly electric. Songs like “All My Friends Are So Depressed” carry a faint Smiths melancholy, while “I Used to Go to This…