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

Sandy Battulga

Sandy Battulga, Music Editor

Sandy is a sophomore double-majoring in comparative literature and social and cultural analysis. When she's not complaining about her love-hate relationship with writing, she can usually be found reading Asian American literature, rewatching some sitcom, or badly playing the guitar. You can catch her on Instagram @sandysonata.

All content by Sandy Battulga
An illustration of a Black woman in a green shirt and a white woman in a yellow shirt listening to music through wired headphones. The cord of the headphones spells out “Listen to This.”

Listen To This: Cola Morgan on the trials and tribulations of dating in the city

Listen to this week’s most notable singles from Zack Keim, Foo Fighters and more.

To close out the semester, this week’s edition of Listen To This features singles from veteran artists like Foo Fighters, to up-and-coming acts like Cola Morgan. Read on for...

An illustration of a Black woman in a green shirt and a white woman in a yellow shirt listening to music through wired headphones. The cord of the headphones spells out “Listen to This.”

Listen To This: King Krule takes a stab at dream-pop

Listen to this week’s most notable singles from King Krule, Sufjan Stevens and more.
Holden Lay, Sandy Battulga, and Pritheva Zakaria Apr 20, 2023

This week’s featured singles go from totally unexpected, in the case of Sufjan Stevens, to exactly what fans anticipated, as with Ice Spice’s new release. But all are worth...

An illustration of a Black woman in a green shirt and a white woman in a yellow shirt listening to music through wired headphones. The cord of the headphones spells out “Listen to This.”

Listen To This: The Drums deliver a strong single with ‘I Want It All’

From revisiting childhood trauma to attending a high energy party, this week’s featured singles cover a whole range of scenes that necessitate a soundtrack. Read on for more. “I...

An edited illustration of Michelangelos “The Creation of Adam” showing the index fingers of a pair of yellow hands with black tattoos wearing rings touching.

Review: Yves Tumor cheekily preaches for religious fluidity

The artist's newest album, “Praise A Lord Who Chews But Which Does Not Consume; (Or Simply, Hot Between Worlds)” is rich in visual aesthetic and political argument. 
Sandy Battulga, Music Editor Mar 29, 2023

In “Praise A Lord Who Chews But Which Does Not Consume; (Or Simply, Hot Between Worlds),” Yves Tumor overtly and subtly pokes fun at the rigidity of Christianity, arguing for...

An illustration of a Black woman in a green shirt and a white woman in a yellow shirt listening to music through wired headphones. The cord of the headphones spells out “Listen to This.”

Listen To This: Niall Horan is in ‘Heaven’ according to his newest love ballad

Listen to this week’s most notable singles by Niall Horan, Yaeji and Halsey.

This week, we’re featuring singles that cover an array of emotions. Niall Horan delivers a love ballad fit for the gods, Yaeji inspires you to express self-love by breaking cycles...

An illustration of a Black woman in a green shirt and a white woman in a yellow shirt listening to music through wired headphones. The cord of the headphones spells out “Listen to This.”

Listen To This: beabadoobee’s ‘Glue Song’ is a sticky earworm

Read about this week’s most notable singles from Indigo de Souza, Feist and more.

For this week’s highlighted singles, the name of the game is “it’s complicated.” While beabadoobee delivers a delightfully sappy ode to love, others like Indigo De Souza,...

An illustration of a Black woman in a green shirt and a white woman in a yellow shirt listening to music through wired headphones. The cord of the headphones spells out “Listen to This.”

Listen To This: Sidney Gish ponders what could’ve been in ‘Filming School’

Read about this week’s most notable singles from Lovejoy, Lana Del Rey and more.
Sandy Battulga, Alex Tey, and Lea Filidore Feb 16, 2023

This week we’re highlighting songs filled with pain. Singles from Sidney Gish, Lovejoy, Lana Del Rey and NYU’s own Kirsten Johanna examine emotions ranging from self-doubt...

An illustration of books, albums, and a single D.V.D. case, placed on an all-red backdrop with a pattern of small, white, hand-drawn hearts.

Staff Recs: Schmaltzy art that’s worth it

WSN’s arts editors spotlight schmaltzy arts-related content to cling to this Valentine’s Day.

What do we mean when we speak of schmaltz? Perhaps a little etymological digging might help answer our question. According to the Oxford English Dictionary (which you should use...

An illustration of a Black woman in a green shirt and a white woman in a yellow shirt listening to music through wired headphones. The cord of the headphones spells out “Listen to This.”

Listen To This: Better ‘Hold On’ while listening to Lizzy McAlpine’s new emotional single

Read about this week’s most notable singles by Nia Archives, Unknown Mortal Orchestra and more.

This week, Nia Archives, Lizzy McAlpine and Yves Tumor released singles that reinforce their signature sounds, while Unknown Mortal Orchestra’s “Layla” ventures into an unconventional...

An illustration of a vinyl record in front of a maroon background. The record features images of seven people, all smiling.

‘Let’s Start Here’ is a reset for Lil Yachty’s sound

Lil Yachty reinvents his sound in “Let’s Start Here,” but his lyrics show that old habits die hard.
Sandy Battulga, Music Editor Feb 2, 2023

Since the release of hit singles “One Night” and “Minnesota,” Lil Yachty has based his lucrative musical career on mumble rap, a genre often defined by its simple rhymes...

An illustration of a vinyl record with artist Weyes Blood illustrated on it, against a dark blue background. Blood wears a white flowy dress.

Review: Weyes Blood’s new album proves she’s an expert on life’s shades of gray

“And in the Darkness, Hearts Aglow” provides an existential follow-up to the artist’s 2019 album “Titanic Rising.”
Sandy Battulga, Staff Writer Dec 6, 2022

Weyes Blood, also known as Natalie Mering, delivers a bittersweet and honest examination of what it feels like to be a human in the modern age. Mering establishes a mystical instrumentation...

An illustration of a women with dark purple hair wearing lavender headphones. Her headphone cords form the text listen to this. She is in front of a blue background.

Listen To This: Julia Michaels redefines EDM on ‘Sorry To Me Too’

Read about this week’s most notable singles by Stevie Bill, Channel Tres and more.
Yas Akdag, Sandy Battulga, and Candace Patrick Nov 17, 2022

This week, we have four songs that lean pop, but have different interpretations of the genre. There’s Julia Michaels’ heartbreak anthem, which she wrote following her split...

An illustration of a Black woman in a green shirt and a white woman in a yellow shirt listening to music through wired headphones. The cord of the headphones spells out “Listen to This.”

Listen To This: NYU sophomore Mia Tims’ ‘Live Forever’ is an indie-rock earworm

Read about this week’s most notable singles by hemlocke springs, Camp Kona and more.

This week, we feature a range of genres — from indie-rock to electropop — as well as two NYU artists. For TikTok scrollers, we also review hemlocke springs’ new track, “girlfriend.”...

An illustration of the album cover of “Changes.” The members dress in loose streetwear and kneel in front of the camera against a wall filled with colorful graffiti. The clothing items include a green bucket cap, black cargo pants and varingly solid-colored T-shirts.

Review: ‘Changes’ elevates King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard’s discography

King Gizzard’s newest album takes on an existential perspective, and showcases the band’s robust musical ability.
Sandy Battulga, Staff Writer Nov 7, 2022

Though usually classified as a psychedelic rock band, King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard has produced an incredibly diverse discography that proves that it is much more than...

Five characters dance around with disco balls for heads. They are dressed in disco attire that is yellow, white, orange, red, purple and green on a dark blue background.

‘Discoholics Anonymous’ breathes life back to disco

Discoholics’ second album “Discoholics Anonymous” proves as addictingly groovy as its first.
Sandy Battulga, Staff Writer Sep 15, 2022

“Decades have passed since people tried to kill disco, but disco never died…it was only on vacation” is the slogan to Discoholic’s second album “Discoholics Anonymous.”  The...

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