current obsessions ~ vol. 2
the complexities of girlhood, silly little beverages & killer thrillers
listen
BANKS feat. Doechii ~ I Hate Your Ex-Girlfriend
I Hate Your Ex-Girlfriend by BANKS featuring Doechii dropped today, and it is—dare I say— already a contender for the song of Spring. A bold and brave statement, I know, especially considering Charli XCX just released the most perfect remix album. But alas, this is my current obsession, and I must follow what tingles the brain today.
Not only is I Hate Your Ex-Girlfriend an addictive bop, but it’s also an unflinching exploration of jealousy, competition, and the emotional chaos that comes with navigating the ghosts of past relationships. The track layers BANKS' signature dark, introspective sound with biting lyrics that capture the tension between moving forward and feeling trapped by comparison to a partner's ex. I Hate Your Ex-Girlfriend balances the tension between dismissiveness and feeling threatened, while subtly critiquing the patriarchal structures behind those feelings. BANKS isn't just reflecting on insecurity—she’s using it as fire to expose the structures that create these competitive dynamics.
Doechii’s verse cuts through sharply, even calling back to Kelis’ seminal 1999 track Caught Out There. Where Kelis’ rage was raw and explosive, Doechii delivers with precision, dropping the line “I hate you bitches, I’m misogynistic” as a bold confrontation of internalised misogyny. She highlights how patriarchy pits women against each other, even as they strive to transcend it. This collaboration reflects the broader cultural shift we’ve seen in 2024, where artists like Charli XCX and Lorde are moving beyond simplistic frenemy-to-bestie narratives in tracks like Girl So Confusing, embracing the layered, messy realities of femme relationships.
At its core, I Hate Your Ex-Girlfriend rejects the stale tropes that pigeonhole women as either ‘girl’s girls’ or ‘pick me’s’. Instead, the track interrogates those binaries, making room for the complex, often contradictory feelings tied to love, envy, and rivalry. This isn’t just a petty diss (although I’m HERE FOR the pettiness); it’s a cutting-edge reflection of how pop is evolving, giving voice to the full spectrum of the girlhood experience.
I feel like this era of BANKS is going to be her most cunty yet.
Tickets for BANKS Goddess: 10 Year Anniversary Live go on sale Monday 21 October.
For more on Doechii, check out her recent feature in Paper Magazine.
drink
A sexy soda for Spring? Groundbreaking…
I must—I repeat, MUST—have multiple silly little beverages on hand at any given moment in my day. For me, 2024 has been The Year of Silly Little Beverages.
As soon as I wake up, I fling food at the screaming evil twins (my cats), and then I boil the kettle, ready to start brewing all my liquid concoctions.
A pinch of Celtic sea salt dissolved into a glass of warm water. To support hydration, balance electrolytes, and improve digestion, of course.
A glass of kefir—or a few swigs straight from the bottle because I’m a grown-up and can do what I want (it’s called healing your inner child!!). To strengthen my immune system and gut health.
A mug of my favourite bone broth with breakfast for joint health, gut function, and immune support.
And finally, one hour after waking (please note, this timing is based purely on what I will tell people “I read somewhere” to make me sound like I didn’t just learn it from an unqualified 20-year-old TikTok girly named something like Luna Jade)—a freshly brewed, glorious mug of filter coffee. Sometimes with milk, sometimes honey and butter (sue me!!!) if I’m feeling extra saucy. Let’s be real, I rarely wait the full hour...and my being caffeinated is in the general public's best interest.
Did I try to quit coffee and fail miserably? Yes. But did I cut down to only one coffee per day and become addicted to other silly little beverages? Yes. A win is a win, okay?
Anywayyyy, I’ve gotten way too sidetracked talking about all my silly little beverages and still haven’t mentioned the star of the show, the reason we are gathered here today. Earlier this year, much to my delight, I stumbled upon Matéo, hiding in the corner of my local fancy bakery (shout out Wild Life), and I have been obsessed ever since.
No, Matéo is not some devilishly handsome, moustachioed Spanish man. I live in Melbourne, and the only devilishly handsome man I’ve met here is Brian, the gay greyhound. Matéo is a silly little beverage, and it’s my favourite.
It’s a fizzy, refreshing yerba maté drink. Whether I’m skipping booze at park hangs or need a caffeine fix without the jitters, it’s giving easy, breezy, summery vibes. Matéo just hits different. Light, bubbly and not too sweet, with a steady, slow-build buzz of energy… it’s basically me if I were a silly little beverage. Way sexier than coffee, in my humble opinion, and tastes better than green tea. We’re talking about the drink, here guys, calm down.
Is this starting to sound like a sponsored post? Is this how you become an influencer? Nah, I’m just a chronically online girly with a weakness for fancy soda and gay dogs.
Honestly, you can thank me later—find Matéo at your local stockist. Or grab free delivery when you buy in bulk online.
watch
Blink Twice ~ Film, 2024
Zoë Kravitz’s directorial debut Blink Twice is a slick, twisted exploration of power dynamics, set within a visually striking, if somewhat predictable, psychological thriller. A brilliant Naomi Ackie stars as Frida, a waitress pulled into the unsettling world of supposedly reformed bad boy billionaire Slater King (Channing Tatum). What begins as a dream getaway on King’s private island soon unravels, exposing the sinister realities of unchecked wealth and privilege, with chilling parallels to real-world abuses of power involving figures like P Diddy and Jeffrey Epstein.
The choice of a 17th-century Mexican estate, with its colonial legacy, enriches the film's exploration of oppression and exploitation, giving the narrative a resonant and timely relevance. Kravitz masterfully captures the mood and pacing, elevated by a (literally) killer soundtrack featuring Candi Staton’s Young Hearts Run Free, James Brown’s The Boss, and, in what I thought was the most powerful moment, Beyoncé’s I'M THAT GIRL during an iconic revenge scene. Ackie brings real depth to her role, while Alia Shawkat adds grounded humour, and everyone’s favourite babygirl, Kyle MacLachlan, delivers a quietly unsettling performance.
Kravitz holds up a sharp mirror to the crumbling elite, blending fiction and reality, striking a chord in a world where wealth and privilege are finally being scrutinized.
