Leah Mandel

Essays

How the 'I'm Baby' Meme Became a Cultural Obsession

From scrunchies, to Baby Yoda, to plushies for grownups, retreating to childhood can be enticing—especially when it feels like everything is falling apart.
Leah Mandel
3.18.20
PROFILES

Doll Skin's Joyful Pop Punk Is the Future

The Arizona band's new album 'Love Is Dead and We Killed Her' gives mid-aughts alt-rock a fresh coat of Manic Panic.
Leah Mandel
7.9.19
Interviews

Holly Herndon's New, AI-Spawned Album Is Full of Humanity

For 'PROTO,' the artist and her collaborators built an AI that was trained on their voices. The music it produced is eerie at times, but it's full of life.
Leah Mandel
5.10.19
The Noisey Guide to

The Guide to Getting into The Cramps, Garage Rock's True Freaks

Poison Ivy, Lux Interior, and their cast of collaborators left behind a legacy of heavy, horny, and horrifying songs. Here's where to start.
Leah Mandel
5.2.19
Premieres

David Vassalotti's Dreamy Guitar Pop Is the Truth

The Merchandise co-founder is on a search for answers to big questions—his new video for "Let It Burn" is just one step in that process.
Leah Mandel
2.7.19
Premieres

New York Noise Punks Palberta's New Album Is Equal Parts Silly and Scary

Fueled by the once in a lifetime chemistry of three longtime friends, 'Roach Goin' Down' is a special, experimental take on what it means to rock.
Leah Mandel
6.12.18
Noisey Next

Forth Wanderers Are Indie Rock's Next Great Nostalgists

Now signed to Sub Pop, five college-aged childhood friends from New Jersey keep growing up together on their blissful self-titled album.
Leah Mandel
4.18.18