Festival season is upon us. Even if you aren’t braving a multi-day, camping festival on a farm (Hello, Bonnaroo!) or in the wilderness (Hinterland, we love you!), there are urban festivals (Lookin’ at you, Riot Fest!) and those tucked away in parks (Hi, Outsidelands!) all across the United States and beyond.
But with these events comes facing the elements. You have to make sure you are prepared for the weather, whether you like it or not. Here, TK products to take with you on your next festival adventure to keep yourself in good spirits.
magnum solace magnesium oil
Travel can lead to excitement, a difference in schedule, and irregular sleep. Camping outside can make it almost impossible to sleep comfortably.
For the moments where you could use a little help falling asleep, this magnesium oil is incredible. Spray the unscented oil on your arms, legs, or feet, and lay down to get one of the best rests of your life.
Erin Zimmerman sent this to me to help me keep my sleep patterns regular. I let a co-producer borrow this while they were on a consolidated schedule in a different time zone and she said she had never slept that well outside of her own bed.
drip drop electrolyte powder
No matter what you’re up to this summer, staying hydrated is key. I try a lot of different hydration beverages, and this one – so far – has been my absolute favorite. You can find DripDrop at Costco online, a 40 pack of watermelon and lemon/lime powders.
The watermelon tastes like a watermelon Jolly Rancher, and the lemon/lime option tastes exactly like Gatorade. They include no sugar, and 3x the hydration of some of your bulkier beverages.
five below honey & jojoba shimmer body oil
You can’t hit up a festival without a little bit of glitz. This natural body oil is packed with sparkles, but is also extra hydrating and has a light scent to it (nothing overwhelming). You won’t feel any guilt about spraying it on your décolletage, shoulders, and legs because it’s budget-friendly, at just $1 at Five Below.
trader joe’s facial spf
This sunscreen is silky smooth and easy to apply, the same texture and consistency as lightweight foundation primers. It is oil free, and won’t leave a cast or any weird residue. The size of the bottle makes it easy to keep it on your person at all times, which is great for re-application of the SPF 40 formula every 40 minutes as suggested.
At just $8, there’s no reason not to consider this.
supergirl! disco stick
If you aren’t immediately drawn to the glitter branding and the name of this product – anyone returning to the days of Lady Gaga’s single? – then you will be thrilled by the price. For just $5 at Five Below, you can grab this SPF 30 dry oil stick. Perfect for your décolletage, this unscented sunscreen is a bit of a highlighter for the skin. No weird, sticky, slimy feelings after application, either!
newman’s own organic herb blends
This may seem out of left field, but Newman’s Own recently introduced a tasty line of organic spices to their offerings. Lucky enough to have tried them recently, I can say with absolute certainty that keeping the Churro blend and the Citrus Herb blend on-hand can help add flavor to anything you may be eating. I might not pull them out at a fancy restaurant, but I would absolutely season my takeout, food truck findings, and camping-friendly items with them.
If you love tacos and intend to try some out, there is an incredible Street Taco blend that you might want to throw in your bag.
loop earplugs
I did not understand relief until my sister bought me a 3-pack of Loop earplugs. I got three different decibal protection levels, each in their own keychain carrying case.
The fun part about these earplugs is that you twist them into your ears, where they nestle well. Each pair comes with adjusters in small, medium, and large so you can fit them to your ears, reducing the common earplug issue of them popping out.
Now, I can protect my hearing against noise pollution at any point, I just need to reach down and grab them out of my keychain.
I can also drown everyone out with the noise cancelling attachments and the small carrying case the set came with.
arctic air breeze jet (air conditioner/fan)
I cannot gate keep here. The Arctic Air Breeze Jet is the #1 item to add to your festival list this year. This mini air conditioner/fan has 3 speeds and is relatively quiet, meaning it certainly won’t be an issue in a loud environment with your ear plugs in. It comes charged up with a USB plug that will easily get the battery back to 100% on-the-go. Clip it to your belt to get the airflow going up – and under your shirt, if you’d like – or attach it using the lanyard that comes with.
If Madilyn Mei’s music has always felt like a handwritten diary entry passed across a high school lunch table, her latest single, “What’s Going On?!”, might be the doodle-covered cover. Released May 16, this track finds Mei deepening her indie-folk bedroom pop roots while leaning into more experimental territory, complete with alien metaphors and a healthy dose of existential dread.
Produced and mixed by Scrawny and mastered by Joe Hutchinson, “What’s Going On?!” captures the disorienting experience of trying to “fit in” when you feel like you were dropped onto Earth from another planet. The track opens with an eerie, circus-like intro and transitions into a whimsical, layered soundscape that blends plucky acoustic strings with jittery synth textures. Mei’s voice, delicate yet resolute, delivers lines packed with metaphor, self-deprecating humor, and quietly devastating insight. Lyrically, the track dances on the edge of absurdity and melancholy, a balancing act Mei pulls off with signature flair. It’s the kind of track that makes you laugh, cry, and spiral into a late-night identity crisis, all within three minutes. It’s a story of trying to belong when you feel unrecognizable to yourself and others, a meditation on loneliness that’s somehow comforting in its honesty.
The music video, streaming now on YouTube, takes the song’s surreal undertones to new heights. In it, Mei appears as a claymation alien, amplifying the song’s themes of disconnection with a dose of off-kilter whimsy, with some circus aesthetics lurking not far behind. Her current website and Instagram bio, complete with a circus tent emoji, only add to the intrigue. Could this be the first clue of a larger, thematically cohesive project on the horizon? If so, we’re buckling in.
If you’re new to Madilyn Mei, you might recognize her from viral tracks like “The Milk Carton”, “Partner in Crime”, or “Blue Haired Boy”, all beloved for their vivid storytelling and genre-defying charm. The Arizona-based 22-year-old singer-songwriter has been quietly redefining what bedroom pop can be. Known for her poetic wordplay, genre-blending arrangements, and storytelling flair, Mei has released a debut album, three EPs, and a steady stream of singles, all written and recorded from her bedroom. Her work is intimate yet imaginative, weaving together deeply personal themes with a touch of magic that feels just left of reality.
And now, she’s taking that world on the road. Mei is slated to open for AJR and others on tour this July. It’s a major step forward that speaks to her growing influence and genre-crossing appeal.
TOUR DATES: 7/20 Mountain View, CA Shoreline Amphitheatre 7/22 Salt Lake City, UT Utah First Credit Union Amphitheatre 7/24 Denver, CO Fiddler’s Green Amphitheatre 7/26 St. Louis, MO Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre 7/27 Tinley Park, IL Credit Union 1 Amphitheatre 7/29 Clarkston, MI Pine Knob Music Theatre 7/31 Noblesville, IN Ruoff Music Center 8/6 Camden, NJ Freedom Mortgage Pavilion 8/8 Wantagh, NY Jones Beach Amphitheatre 8/9 Mansfield, MA Xfinity Center 10/4 Los Angeles, CA Hollywood Bowl
“What’s Going On?!” isn’t just a catchy new track. It’s a question, a cry, and a cosmic shrug all in one. It’s for the alienated and the awkward, the overthinkers and the dreamers, and anyone who’s ever left a party wondering if they said too much or not enough. Stream “What’s Going On?!” now on Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon Music, YouTube, Pandora, and wherever else you soundtrack your identity crises. If this is just the opening act of her circus-themed era, we’re bracing ourselves for a wild, wondrous ride.
In what seems to be a continued, conscious effort for all the musician babes to bring ultra-poppy tracks to the masses for a summer of community and fun, Kesha has launched her new single “Boy Crazy” into the universe. Yes, the monotonous drawl of her vocals is very AI, very chic, and very modern. But Kesha’s cute shrieks and the quick pace make it feel like the next natural step in the progression of pop-synth tracks like “I’m A Barbie Girl.” Her vocals are concerted yet delicate, she is on a concerted hunt and we are along for the ride.
Coming off exhilarating and incredible performances at both Coachella and Stagecoach, Kesha is ready for the new trio of tracks to catch fire in direct anticipation of her highly-anticipated upcoming album . (PERIOD). 2024 brought her back into rotation with Kesha’s “Joyride” and on Charli XCX’s “Spring Breakers,” and helped Kesha bring more of her quintessential “I couldn’t care less” attitude back to the forefront of pop culture.
July 4th is about to pop off (for all the right reasons) with the release of . (PERIOD). Get your first listen to “Boy Crazy” below.
KESHA – LIVE 2025 MAY 29 – Glasgow, UK – House of Kesha @ O2 Academy 1 (SOLD OUT) 30 – Manchester, UK – House of Kesha @ Albert Hall (SOLD OUT)
JUNE 1 – London, UK – Mighty Hoopla † † Festival Performance
KESHA & SCISSOR SISTERS: THE TITS OUT TOUR – NORTH AMERICA 2025 JULY 1 – West Valley City, UT – Utah First Credit Union Amphitheatre ^ 3 – Mountain View, CA – Shoreline Amphitheatre ^ 5 – Inglewood, CA – Kia Forum ^ 6 – Phoenix, AZ – Talking Stick Resort Amphitheatre ^ 8 – Dallas, TX – Dos Equis Pavilion * ^ 10 – The Woodlands, TX – The Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion ^ 12 – Tinley Park, IL – Credit Union 1 Amphitheatre ^ 13 – St. Louis, MO – Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre ^ 15 – Nashville, TN – Riverfront Park – Ascend Amphitheater ^ 16 – Cincinnati, OH – Riverbend Music Center ^ 18 – Noblesville, IN – Ruoff Music Center ^ 19 – Clarkston, MI – Pine Knob Music Theatre # 21 – Toronto, ON – Budweiser Stage # 23 – New York, NY – Madison Square Garden * 24 – Mansfield, MA – Xfinity Center # 26 – Burgettstown, PA – The Pavilion at Star Lake # 28 – Cuyahoga Falls, OH – Blossom Music Center # 29 – Philadelphia, PA – TD Pavilion at The Mann # 31 – Buffalo, NY – Darien Lake Amphitheater #
AUGUST 2 – Virginia Beach, VA – Veterans United Home Loans Amphitheater # 3 – Raleigh, NC – Coastal Credit Union Music Park at Walnut Creek # 5 – Charlotte, NC – PNC Music Pavilion # 7 – Alpharetta, GA – Ameris Bank Amphitheatre # 9 – West Palm Beach, FL – iTHINK Financial Amphitheatre # 10 – Tampa, FL – MIDFLORIDA Credit Union Amphitheatre #
Jessie J is known for her incredible vocal range and control. Every song she releases is pure magic in some way, a testament to her musicality and the way she emotes in this world. This is no different for her brand new single “Living My Best Life,” which she enthusiastically shouts from the streets in the visual and accompanying teaser.
In the last few years, this woman has realized her lifelong dream of being a mother. She weathered many storms – including career obstacles and a relatively public miscarriage – to be where she is right now, poised for greatness with her second single of 2025. And this single does nothing but breathe life into its listener.
But the best part about it? “Living My Best Life” was written, recorded, and mastered around 5 years ago, and the music video was even shot for it 4 years ago… all before the last few years transpired. Four years ago, she was set to release this gorgeous track and then suffered a larynx injury from a car wreck, rendering her unable to perform the way she wanted to.
Life got complicated. She kept this anthemic masterpiece in her pocket, and now she gets the chance to “dust it off.” “Living My Best Life” gets the celebration it so rightly deserves — and truly sets the tone for a summertime of living it up, going after what you want, and simply letting the sun shine all over your face.
Jessie J shows us what the power of storytelling can do for people. Keep up with the queen here.
On May 6th, hip hop artist Open Mike Eagle opened for Future Islands at The Madrid in Kansas City. He set the fun tone for the remainder of the evening. Whitney Young captured some highlights from the set for us.
Future Islands creates synth-pop that helps us to disconnect from reality — and sometimes become more connected to ourselves. Seeing them live is an experience unto itself, and we were lucky enough to check them out last week on their stop through Kansas City, Missouri. The Madrid is a beautiful, historic theater that was the perfect backdrop to this lineup.
If I’m being honest, any female artist wielding a song with the title “Causing Trouble Again” was going to pique my interest. If nothing else, I am an unashamed feminist and broad supporter of women who speak up and speak out. And while her sophomore album Trouble won’t be released until July, the indelible Gina Birch has unleashed a single with just that name — and just that energy.
Post punk is, perhaps, one of my favorite genres. Watching a group of women have so much fun causing mischief and standing in their power is, honestly, the best part and the point for me. But once you know the reasoning behind the visuals themselves – and the metaphorical connections that were discovered as the concept came together – you may find yourself falling in love with Gina.
After hearing Bob Dylan sing about a white ladder all covered with water, I became obsessed with white ladders. I decided to use five white ladders, three with seven rungs…I realized later that this references Jacob’s Ladder and a connection from Earth to heaven, but I think I was thinking of ladders as a symbol of getting on, getting up. I wanted to have a choreographed movement with four of us with these ladders. How do we move with ladders? Do we move together, do we fight, do we dance?
I also wanted to reference the wind scene from the film, The Colour of Pomegranates, and to include as many artist women from the Women in Revolt exhibition as I could. I wanted them to be troublesome, or just to shout ‘Causing trouble!’ I ended up inviting all the artist musician women I knew who could make the shoot, and it was a fantastic meeting of great women, many of whom had never met each other before.
Get your first peek at the video below.
Keep up with Gina Birch here, and catch her on one of her upcoming tour dates.
GINA BIRCH – NORTH AMERICAN TOUR 2025 (All Dates w/ Miki Berenyi Trio) JULY 16 – London, UK – Rough Trade East In-Store OCTOBER 10 – Washington, DC – Pearl Street Warehouse 11 – Brooklyn, NY – Music Hall of Williamsburg 12 – Cambridge, MA – The Sinclair 13 – Montreal, QC – Bar Le Ritz PDB 15 – Toronto, ON – The Great Hall 16 – Ferndale, MI – The Magic Bag 17 – Chicago, IL – Lincoln Hall 18 – St. Paul, MN – Turf Club 20 – Denver, CO – Larimer Lounge 21 – Salt Lake City, UT – Urban Lounge 23 – Seattle, WA – Neptune Theatre 24 – Vancouver, BC – Hollywood Theatre 25 – Portland, OR – Mississippi Studios 27 – San Francisco, CA – Great American Music Hall 28 – West Hollywood, CA – The Roxy Theatre
Psych/punk rock is experiencing a renaissance, and Los Angeles-based Frankie and The Witch Fingers are riding the wave. Ahead of their album’s June 6th release date, they have dazzled us with a particular head-bobber, a track called “Dead Silence” that is anything but. The track actually feels a little more surf rock in places, with obvious 70s flare.
The track is relatable, addressing anxiety, existential dread, and reminds us of the unrelenting amount of information and pure insanity that envelopes us all. The anxious energy of the lyrics is reflected in the composition, something you can blast from your car on a sunny day.
The band’s anecdote about this particular song is enthralling:
This one’s got a nice little origin story. We played a festival in Boise with Spacemoth, Maryam Qudus’ brainchild, and met her for the first time there. Cut to a year later, and she’s deep in the guts of this record – producing, engineering, twisting knobs, and arranging sounds with us.
On the flight home from that Boise show, Josh threw on the Spacemoth album for the first time and got his brain microwaved. He also recorded the plane taking off, just on a whim. That roar ended up in the bridge of DEAD SILENCE. It’s a nice crusty texture, but it also weirdly bookmarks the start of it all.
Maryam’s all over this record. She sings, plays, distorts, haunts – leaving smudges on everything in the best way. She rules, and we were happy to accidentally mark the occasion sonically with a little jet-engine weirdness.
FRANKIE AND THE WITCH FINGERS ON TOUR 2025 5/16 – Nijmegen, NL – Sonic Whip Festival 5/17 – Diksmuide, BE – 4AD 5/20 – Lyon, FR – Épicerie Moderne 5/21 – Biarritz, FR – Atabal 5/22 – Rouen, FR – Le 106 5/23 – London, UK – Wide Awake Festival 5/25 – Berlin, DE – Desertfest 5/27 – Cherbourg, FR – Le Circuit 5/28 – Brighton, UK – Daltons 5/30 – London, UK – Shacklewell Arms ^ 5/31 – Bristol, UK – Strange Brew 6/01 – Birmingham, UK – Hare & Hounds 6/05 – Berlin – New York, NY ^ 6/07 – Permanent Records Roadhouse – Los Angeles, CA ^ 7/15 – Felton Music Hall – Felton, CA ° 7/16 – The Chapel – San Francisco, CA ° 7/19 – The Den – Portland, OR ° 7/20 – The Pearl – Vancouver, BC ° 7/23 – Shrine Social Club – Boise, ID ° 7/24 – Urban Lounge – Salt Lake City, UT ° 7/25 – Mesa Theater – Grand Junction, CO ° 7/26 – Underground Music Showcase – Denver, CO 7/27 – Sister Bar – Albuquerque, NM ° 7/29 – Hotel Congress – Tucson, AZ 7/30 – Rebel Lounge – Phoenix, AZ ° 7/31 – Swan Diver – Las Vegas, NV ° 8/01 – Belly Up – Solana Beach, CA ° 8/02 – Teragram Ballroom – Los Angeles, CA ° 8/31 – Bumbershoot Music Festival – Seattle, WA 9/19 – Music Hall of Williamsburg – Brooklyn, NY * 9/20 – First Unitarian Church – Philadelphia, PA * 9/21 – Songbyrd – Washington, DC * 9/23 – Grey Eagle – Asheville, NC * 9/24 – Terminal West – Atlanta, GA * 9/26 – Chelsea’s Live – Baton Rouge, LA * 9/27 – Dan Electros – Houston, TX * 9/28 – To Be Announced – Austin, TX 9/29 – Tulips – Fort Worth, TX * 10/1 – Bottom Lounge – Chicago, IL * 10/2 – Turf Club – Minneapolis, MN * 10/3 – X-Ray Arcade – Cudahy, WI * 10/4 – Grog Shop – Cleveland, OH * 10/5 – Third Man Records – Detroit, MI * 10/7 – Lee’s Palace – Toronto, ON * 10/8 – Foufounes Électriques – Montréal, QC * 10/9 – Oxbow Brewing – Portland, ME * 10/10 – Brighton Music Hall – Boston, MA * 10/11 – Lark Hall – Albany, NY * ^ – intimate album release show ° with Iguana Death Cult * with Population II
Bracing for the impact of their sophomore album “Couple(t)s,” independent North Carolina duo Couldn’t Be Happier – expertly comprised of soulmates Jordan Crosby Lee and Jodi Hildebran Lee – share supportive and audibly satisfying single “I Got You.” The lyrics are encouraging, something to send to a friend or family member that may be going through a hard time. Because life is hard enough as it is, and this duo has no problem acknowledging that.
The song itself is truly upbeat, so even lines like “screw your parents, you don’t need them to approve” feel light and supportive. Of the song, the band explains:
Life is hard enough. Let’s not let millionaire podcasters and right wing TV hosts turn us against our neighbors. The song emphasizes that this is not about politics – it’s about humanity. Let’s celebrate our differences and the beautiful, vibrant world we can create if we work together to make it so. Life is too damn short to waste hating people for who they love, where they come from, or how they identify.
We are obsessed with their message, entranced by “I Got You,” and fully excited to hear the rest of this dynamic album.
