In Bottoms, the Joke is on All of Us

(Ayo Edebiri as Josie, Rachel Sennott as PJ, Zamani Wilder as Annie, Summer Joy Campbell as Sylvie, and Havana Rose Liu as Isabel)

Ahh, high school... The jocks, the cheerleaders, the nerds, the homecoming games, and the fight clubs with secret gay motives. Bottoms, the new film from Shiva Baby writer/director Emma Seligman, is a riotous and surreal spin on the high school comedy as we know it. It has all the hallmarks of a familiar coming-of-age comedy (unattainable crushes, challenged friendships, Friday night lights) while simultaneously making fun of these common plotlines. When self-proclaimed ugly, untalented lesbians PJ and Josie feel hopeless about their virgin statuses, they begin a school-sanctioned fight club to attract hot cheerleaders. Bottoms is violent fresh, and refuses to take anything remotely seriously. There is a distinctly millennial and gen z obsession with self awareness that shows through the characters and the movie itself. It’s a charming ride from start to finish, and any fan of Bring it On or She’s the Man will rejoice at this updated and outrageous end-of-summer flick.

While millennials and gen z argue constantly over their differences on the internet, the one thing both generations can agree on is the existence of cringe. One of the biggest laughs from Bottoms follows an inspiring speech from PJ, where club member Silvie bursts into a series of deranged screams, repeatedly screeching, “Yes, queen, yass.” While this startling (and hilarious) outburst of support may be attributed to Silvie’s penchant for huffing glue, it highlights how slang like “slay” falls passionately in and out of fashion. The characters limit themselves in the first five minutes, self-categorizing themselves as ugly and untalented lesbians. Kaia Gerber’s Brittany casually mentions that she only exists as an extension of fellow cheerleader Isabel. They all know exactly where they stand and take little interest in changing.

The universe of Bottoms takes pleasure in its exaggeration. The quarterback, Jeff, is an illiterate and whining man-child, adored by his town and pampered beyond compare. Classes only last five minutes, and posters for the football team read, "Get horny." While female solidarity isn't the club's point, Boots Riley-esque reminders of the patriarchy flood each scene (a poster proclaiming, "Smile, he might be looking at you" comes to mind). While taken to the extreme, the characters are only behaving exactly as designed by preceding pop culture, making the film excel in satire of gender politics, teen flicks, and young generations.

In the age of constant reboots, Bottoms achieves a unique spin on the coming-of-age comedy through devout appeals to nostalgia. From the notable goth kid/stand-in scribbing in his noteabook about blowing up the school (JD from Heathers) to an inspiring story about underdogs teaming up in the suburbs outside of Chicago makes the film feel like a blood-soaked John Hughes flick.

Like other films in this genre, the stakes remain pretty low (even when murder and terrorism are involved). When PJ and Josie argue with the club and each other, audiences likely won't expect the damage to last (which it doesn't). While the two main characters are lesbians, the movie's tone isn't stretched into a contemplative meditation on queerness. Seligman and Sennott wholeheartedly trust the audience to understand the satire, which is why Mr. G's comments about "knowing that all women are evil" isn't met with boos from the audience or a lesson in feminism 101 from Josie and PJ. Some movies might like to tell their audiences, "girls can do anything", but in Bottoms, we're simply shown what they are (and aren't) capable of.

The film's success can also be greatly attributed to its excellent cast. Longtime collaborators Rachel Sennott and Ayo Edebiri are a delight to watch together, and their deliberately awkward comedic chemistry is the backbone of Bottoms. Not enough can be said for the wild and infantile performance by Nicholas Galitzine as Jeff and the absurdly protective Miles Fowler. Former NFL player Marshawn Lynch reportedly improvised many of his lines, and every word coming out of his mouth was an enthralling surprise. Havana Rose Liu as Isabel is incredibly charming, and unlike other films, which reduce romantic leads to nothing but a pretty face, Liu earns (and performs) some incredible laughs.

While the film's first act feels mostly grounded in reality, it's a blast to see the film get increasingly absurd. Props and extras assist in setting the tone of this glitzy take on Americana when the characters feel too real (think of the caged wrestler in the background of the early classroom scenes and the diner menus offering cream pies on a romantic date). The climatic finale, which reminds us that you can't start a fight club unless you go out with a fight, rivals the best fight sequences of the 21st century. Between blood-soaked cheerleading uniforms, lesbian-obsessed spectators, and delayed explosions, the film's final scene exemplifies the absurd, slick, and horny atmosphere.

Bottoms is, above all else, a great time. Some characters might lack depth (whether deliberate or not), but it's a raucous and bloody satire, which is what it promised to be. It's an excellent way to spend 90 minutes and a brilliant homage to the teen flicks of years past.

Written by Mary Leer

Time Flies with Libby Quinn

Have you ever seen a punk band with a piano and saxophone?

Libby Quinn, the five-piece Long Island, New York, punk band, does this, and more in their wonderful attempt at pushing musical limits. The five-member band made up of Josh Boucicaut (vocals and sax), Tyler Baron (guitar), Steve Salerno (drums), Mario Hoi (bass), and Tim Matishek (guitar and piano), display excellent chemistry on stage with one another, executing a zestful and exuberant set.

I had the pleasure of seeing them recently for their Baby's All Right show, and the handful of times I’ve watched them, I'm never prepared for what's to come. Libby Quinn consistently provides the grooviest, thrashiest, headbanging, cathartic punk set, offering something new to the New York punk scene.

Libby Quinn's stage presence adds to their "expect the unexpected" aspect. At their latest show, they came out wearing solar punk outfits, made by a friend of theirs, and frontman Boucicaut wrapped in the American flag with Ice Spice's face on it. This was one of the first times the entire band wore an eccentric outfit to perform, unifying their look while maintaining their uniqueness. These animated outfits are not new to the band, as Boucicaut usually changes into his stage look, from blazers to jumpsuits. One of the first times I saw them, he was holding a book that said "The Book of Mormon", while singing his song prophetically, as all of them simultaneously leaned into a stage look, brilliantly consolidating their image while complimenting their erratic setlists.

Their sets reel viewers into this euphoric trance as each song perfectly blends. There are moments where the audience is made to believe the song has finished, and as each member slows themselves down, you are again engulfed, this time with them playing louder and more hectic than before, making your heartbeat faster and adding on adrenaline. The audience is brought into the dynamic live sets mentally and physically as Boucicaut tends to come into the audience, either joining or starting a mosh pit. Through transitions between songs, Libby Quinn seamlessly hypnotizes the audience into forgetting that time exists.

My favorite songs on the setlist were their two most recently released singles, "Bob" and "Jesus in Tokyo", because you never know whether to headbang, dance, mosh, or watch the spectacle that occurs on stage. From Baron thrashing to Boucicaut jumping around on stage and bumping into the other members, to Hoi and Matishek grooving and moving to the beat, and finally, Salerno shredding the drums.

They ended their set with an unreleased song, "Fracture", starting slower and more cathartic, shifting away from their usual sound. Each member came in slowly and increasingly got louder until it ended with an absolute bang, leaving everyone stunned and wishing it did not end.

Listening to their discography, you can hear the evolution in their music from their first single, "Split," and EP, Bite Me, employing a traditional punk rock sound with a quickening pace. In 2020, they started releasing more songs, such as "Truest Gift," that left the punk sound and implemented similar beats to create an indie rock sound. In recent singles, "Bob" and "Jesus in Tokyo," they have left those indie rock sounds and added in components of noise rock and punk sound with the use of synth sounds from the saxophone and piano and through the use of electronic noises. The balance between their works encompasses the diversity in their sound throughout the years.

Libby Quinn has impressively found their image and sound, not limiting themselves to the title of a punk band and being almost unidentifiable, pushing and reframing what “punk” looks and sounds like, enforcing the definition of punk even more, and being unapologetic about it.

Written by Veronica Anaya

Photography by Jill Boyatsis

The Breaks Inc: A Modern Old Rock Band

The Breaks Inc., a six-piece rock NYC-based band from Queens, NY, consisting of Danny Marra (Vox and Acoustic), Adrian Cardenas (Rhythm Guitar), Michael Massiah (Lead Guitar), Gilberto Simmons (Bass), Jason Ruiz (Drums), and Katie Marra (Harmony Vox), have impressively grounded their sound, image, and stage presence early in their musical career. They have released two EPs, Low Places and You All Know Who You Are, and a couple of singles, with an album in progress called Hotel Earth.

You can catch the band playing monthly residency shows at The Bitter End, where beloved artists like Bob Dylan, Joni Mitchell, Patti Smith, Stevie Wonder, and many more renowned musicians sculpted their careers. I recently had the chance to see them execute a keenly warm-spirited nineteen-song setlist that had people grooving both in their seats and on their feet.

The setlist for their shows enticingly balances older work with their newer, unreleased songs, switching back and forth between their earlier, Beatle-esque pop-rock sound to more of a heavier and darker sound that exemplifies their new material, reminiscent of works like Ok Computer by Radiohead. And by sneaking in a memorable cover of Viva La Vida, their Coldplay influence particularly shines through.

The band members' performances reflect excellent musical chemistry. They perform as a unified collective that finds comfort and joy in making music and being on stage together, with a captivating presence that can only be described as effortlessly cool. Right before the set began, blues and jazzy sounds were heard as the band prepped, setting the mood, having no idea what was about to come. Every song provides a moment for each member to showcase their talents. Cardenas and Massiah, both guitarists, have incredible riffs, building the complex rock sound.

In contrast, Ruiz, the drummer, had great moments that reminded me of Dave Grohl's drumming, bringing back those nostalgic, quintessential mid-to-late 90s rock sounds. On top of that, Danny bounced from singing to the tambourine to the acoustic guitar to the piano, bringing eccentric energy to the stage while emulating his strong John Lennon and Paul McCartney influences. What's great about this band is that each player brings in diverse influences while blending them well into a new version of rock that brings pieces of rock history to a new generation.

Listening through their discography, they play around with different eras of rock from all decades. Songs like Player Piano have more of a late 90s alternative rock and post-grunge sound, explicitly exemplified in the drums calling back to the beat of Nirvana's Nevermind or Taylor Hawkins' drumming with the Foo Fighters. The lyrical styling and emphasis on instrumental sections in their older songs have more of a baroque pop sound, reminiscent of The Beatles and the Beach Boys as well as more modern bands like The Lemon Twigs, creating classical sounds heard in Waltz #7 and For Someone Who's Gone (Demo). Elements of progressive and psychedelic rock are heard in songs like Low Places and Unkind, which bring in components from albums like Dark Side of the Moon by Pink Floyd. It doesn't stop there; songs like Pinocchio have an early 2000s indie rock influence similar to The Strokes' earlier albums.

Overall, The Breaks Inc. are versatile in their sound, drawing from different eras of rock spanning from the early 1960s to the early 2000s. Most importantly, they are willing to play and experiment without limiting themselves. Each of their songs sounds completely distinct and unique, and the composition of each song is impressively technical, reminding me of great composers like Brian Wilson. The Breaks Inc. are an underrated band passionate about not only the music they are producing and performing but about music as a whole.

Written and Photography by Veronica Anaya