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

Music

A man wearing flannel holding a microphone to his face.

2024’s Gov Ball takes New Yorkers by storm

Post Malone, The Killers and SZA were this year’s headliners at the Governors Ball Music Festival, which took place in Flushing Meadows Corona Park.
Julia Diorio, Arts Editor June 11, 2024

The Governors Ball Music Festival welcomed nearly 150,000 people to Queens’ Flushing Meadows Corona Park this past weekend, featuring the star-studded headliners Post Malone,...

Gloved orchestra conductor hands in front of blue, green and purple panels combining the imagery of sheet music and computer chips.

ASCAP Challenge looks to the future of music with AI-powered solutions

The annual 12-week program is co-run by the NYU-based NYC Media Lab, and the ASCAP Lab and provides teams with guidance and funding.
Krish Dev, Multimedia Editor May 2, 2024

In recent years, artificial intelligence has sent shockwaves to the music industry. From artificially intelligent DJs to the creation of songs that eerily resemble real ones, it...

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...

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....

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 singer performing on a stage in front of red smoke and a crowd full of waving flashlights.

Review: J. Cole’s ‘Might Delete Later’ should be deleted

J. Cole dropped a small mixtape with a weak Kendrick Lamar diss and dispassionate bars.
Antonio Johri, Contributing Writer April 15, 2024

Cole is considered to be one of the three legends of modern hip-hop, next to Kendrick Lamar and Drake. But his newest album, “Might Delete Later,” is probably the weakest...

Illustration of a vinyl record in its sleeve, the album cover is a woman with tattoos in underwear sitting submerged in a body of water.

Review: Lizzy McAlpine’s ‘Older’ is an ode to coming-of-age stories

Lizzy McAlpine’s “Older” is the musical equivalent of being an anxious 20-year-old.
Lena Olson, Contributing Writer April 15, 2024

In her third studio album, “Older,” American singer-songwriter Lizzy McAlpine expertly crafted a hauntingly raw collection of 14 songs — each describing the passage of time,...

Photo of a large stage displaying red lips signing alongside a stage cam of a woman signing into a microphone on either side.

Review: Olivia Rodrigo spills her ‘GUTS’ at MSG

The singer-songwriter’s “GUTS World Tour” radiated energy that made teenagers and 8-year-olds alike scream the ballads with the same fervor as the rock songs.
Eleanor Jacobs, Staff Writer April 12, 2024

The second show of Olivia Rodrigo’s four-night sold-out escapade in New York City found the streets outside Madison Square Garden packed with purple. Rodrigo took to MSG on April...

Three members of Vampire Weekend posing in the front seat of a car and looking at the camera through the cars front windshield.

Review: Vampire Weekend’s ‘Only God Was Above Us’ sinks its teeth into nihilistic perspectives

“Only God Was Above Us,” which was released on April 5, is Vampire Weekend’s most poignant piece of work to date.
Annie Emans, Contributing Writer April 11, 2024

Vampire Weekend might best be known for upbeat tunes about summers in the Hamptons and classic college adventures, but 18 years and four albums later, “Only God Was Above Us”...

A black and white image of four smiling women poking their head through a tree.

Review: Chastity Belt’s ‘Live Laugh Love’ is dreamy collection of lyrical nostalgia

In its newest album, Chastity Belt takes listeners on a stormy journey, full of emotional highs and lows.
Addison Alvarado, Contributing Writer April 10, 2024

Chastity Belt's new alternative album, "Live Laugh Love," is a significant milestone in the band’s transformative journey. After four studio albums, two singles and five years,...