New York University's independent student newspaper, established in 1973.

Washington Square News

New York University's independent student newspaper, established in 1973.

Washington Square News

New York University's independent student newspaper, established in 1973.

Washington Square News

Arts

Two people stand on the sidewalk, posing and smiling in front of a row of buildings.

Q&A: How 2 first-years found community mixing music in their dorms

WSN spoke to first-year students Christie Brewer and Saima ‘Sai’ Hasan about experimenting musically, finding community and creating NYU Tiny Dorm Concerts.
Liv Steinhardt, Contributing Writer April 29, 2024

NPR Music Tiny Desk Concerts began with an idea in 2008 when writer, editor and producer Stephen Thompson was frustrated that he couldn’t hear his favorite artists over the overwhelming...

A record player cover and a record coming out of it, against a blue background. On the record cover is a man’s face looking down.

Review: ‘boy’ is an ethereal recollection of nostalgia

The 5SOS frontman Luke Hemmings released his second solo project as an EP that works through his starstruck past on the stage.
Julia Diorio, Music Editor April 29, 2024

Sometimes I feel as if I grew up with 5 Seconds of Summer. It’s been my favorite band since “Voodoo Doll” in 2014 and I have seen each of the band’s New York tour stops...

Movie screengrab of five people gathered in a room entrance, the central figure is a brunette man in a tan suit.

Review: The sunny ‘La chimera’ finds tenderness in graverobbing

In this tale of stolen artifacts and found families, a long-lost love shines through.
Ethan Beck, Staff Writer April 29, 2024

Who’s allowed to unravel lost memories and hidden traumas? In her latest film “La chimera,” Italian filmmaker Alice Rohrwacher ponders this central question. Similar to her...

A collage of the four books.

Books beyond Bobst: A summertime romance novel, an analysis of the art world and more

Books beyond Bobst is a book-rec column highlighting what NYU students are reading now, outside of their classes. If you’re in need of a new read, look no further.

“Playing to the Gallery: Helping Contemporary Art in Its Struggle to Be Understood” by Grayson Perry — Alexa Donovan, Deputy Arts Editor My copy of “Playing to...

An illustration of a blue book cover with a woman wearing a large dress with a sunset and people on it. It says “NATIONAL BOOK AWARD FINALIST NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER PACHINKO Min Jin Lee”.

6 page-turners to get you out of a reading slump

These gripping reads are full of short chapters, fluid prose and enthralling plots, which will kick-start your reading era just in time for summer.
Lulu Chatterjee, Staff Writer April 25, 2024

“Severance” by Ling Ma “Severance,” published in August 2018, is eerily evocative of the COVID-19 pandemic that followed two years later. The book follows Candace...

An abstract line drawing of a person wearing headphones playing a guitar, in front of a pink background with blue stars.

Review: The play ‘Stereophonic’ tells the bittersweet story of a ’70s band

After originating at Playwrights Horizons, “Stereophonic” brings the raw reality of band life to Broadway.
Skylar Boilard, Contributing Writer April 25, 2024

If you like “Daisy Jones & The Six,” listen to Fleetwood Mac, have an adoration for ’70s clothing, or are just in the mood for a moving story, then “Stereophonic”...

Illustration of a blonde woman on a black and white album cover clutching her head with both hands.

Review: Taylor Swift is back, better and sooner than ever

Released two hours after the original album dropped, Taylor Swift’s “The Tortured Poets Department: The Anthology,” proves her mastery in lyricism and a complete understanding of her sound.
Emily Genova, Deputy Managing Editor April 24, 2024

Taylor Swift fans dropped everything Thursday night to listen to the newly-released “The Tortured Poets Department,” a compilation of 65 minutes of heartbreak, angst and regret....

A film still of two men in military outfits holding guns and walking people with black bags over their heads. Behind them, a girl sits against a wall with chalk markings of pink, blue and green, wearing a black vest with the word, “PRESS” written on it.

Review: ‘Civil War’ asks viewers what kind of American they are

Alex Garland criticizes journalistic and bystander integrity in his new A24 film “Civil War.”
Bella Simonte, Contributing Writer April 24, 2024

British filmmaker Alex Garland has returned to A24 with his newest film “Civil War.” Though the title suggests otherwise, the film is less about politics and more a critique...

An illustration of an albums black-and-white cover depicts a woman crossing her arms and lying down on a bed, with the words THE TORTURED POETS DEPARTMENT above her.

Review: ‘The Tortured Poets Department’ is a humanizing and chaotic chronicle of heartbreak

Taylor Swift continues to keep her fans on their toes with an album that peers into her mind as she rises into incomprehensible fame.
Julia Diorio, Music Editor April 22, 2024

Taylor Swift is a polarizing artist. Aside from her music, many tend to hold very passionate opinions about her life, decisions and music, especially within her relationships....

A girl pictured wearing a green sweater, dark jeans and red socks sits on the ground holding her hands together.

Review: girl in red’s ‘I’M DOING IT AGAIN BABY!’ freshly approaches artistic development

In dropping an album both introspective and divergent from her traditional sound, the Norwegian artist paints a journey of self-discovery that cements her creative voice.
Eleanor Jacobs, Staff Writer April 22, 2024

Do you listen to girl in red? The recent release of her second studio album serves as a prime incentive to do so and acquaint yourself with the artist. Singer-songwriter Marie...

A woman with black hair, wearing a black shirt and black leather jacket, stands in front of a gray tiled wall.

Q&A: Miki Berenyi on ‘Fingers Crossed’ and the new chapter of her life

WSN sat down with Berenyi to talk about her memoir, the impact of music as she ages and what it was like navigating the ’80s alternative music scene as a biracial woman.
Stephanie Wong, Arts Editor April 22, 2024

Best known as the frontwoman of the band Lush, Miki Berenyi was an icon of the shoegaze scene back in the ’80s and ’90s. Her red hair is instantly recognizable to any veteran...

On a bright magenta background is a neon red-headed girl in a red and black dress, black sheer tights, and black ankle boots, sitting on the ground reaching for a white teacup filled with a dark, coffee-colored liquid.

Review: ‘Fingers Crossed’ is a stripped portrait of a shoegaze icon

Miki Berenyi’s memoir, “Fingers Crossed: How Music Saved Me from Success” recounts the seasoned musician’s complicated upbringing and tumultuous journey navigating the British alternative music scene in the late ’80s to ’90s.
Stephanie Wong, Arts Editor April 19, 2024

Amid the current shoegaze resurgence brought on by nostalgia-fueled TikToks, new fans of the 30-year-old subgenre are indulging in its ethereal soundscapes by way of Cocteau Twins...