june playlist: CLUB LIL

club bangers for uncertain times

never not thinking about julia stiles’ absolutely twisted hip-hop ballet sequence

Hello! I come bearing absolutely bizarre vibes.

I know very few people who are comfortable in states of limbo. The term comes from the Latin word “limbus,” which means “edge.” (Not to be confused with “edging.”) Old-school Catholic theology teaches us that limbo is an in-between space in the afterlife—somewhere you go if you’ve died in original sin, i.e. you are a baby and didn’t get a chance to repent, but aren’t quite condemned to hell. Limbo is either on the lip of hell (lol) or the edge of heaven, depending on who you ask.

I’ve been in a very strange period of limbo for, like, eight weeks. Many, many things feel out of my control, and I’m largely unable to make plans until this period is resolved. Of course, there are plenty of things I could be doing right now—I could be knocking out my 1,000 Words of Summer (follow along with

Jami Attenberg

if you aren’t already!); I could be scrubbing my bathtub. I could be transcribing audio or organizing my desk (it’s bad) or replying to that one stressful email that’s been in my inbox since April. But I feel paralyzed by the limbo of it all.

I’m distracted, unable to focus on work for more than a few minutes at a time. I’m frustrated and spooked by the question marks on my calendar—maybe moving, maybe working, maybe not. I’m ripping my cuticles to shreds knowing that I’ll be in limbo for at least another week, if not two. I’m feeling flighty and wholly unproductive.

And so, dear reader, I must go to the clerb.

this month’s playlist: club bangers for weird times

Charli XCX released Brat last week. It is a celestial gift sent to Earth specifically for me during this strange, strange time. It is stupid and fun and thoughtless with a few golden threads of humanity sewn in when you least expect them. Most importantly, it is designed to get you to shake ya tush. I may not be able to work right now, but by god, I can shake my tush.

This month’s BIG ONE playlist starts with a gentle ass-shaking tune and ramps up to relentless, high-octane gyrations. Everything is confusing, but tush is forever.