Record bars are back, baby. And Punch, a wonderful indie mag all about imbibing, has been posting playlists from some of the best spots in Tokyo, the city leading the movement. All four of their features are worth a listen, perhaps over dimmed lights and whiskey, but in the daylight, start with a track from Ahiru Sha in Shinjuku City. “Behind The Mask” was originally composed in 1978 for a Japanese commercial, and later re-recorded by its composer’s band, Yellow Magic Orchestra (with a mystery appearance by Eric Clapton). The band is famous for parodying Western conceptions of Asia through music, and you’ll hear that loud and clear in The Mask, which sounds like an alien video game. The other thing it sounds like is 2019: we’ve come full-circle on the digital aesthetic, so the funky ’70s synths and sweet, dissonant robot song feel totally fresh. Just the vibe you’d be after if you were running a record bar. Listen here.
Every now and then, a product pops up that’s so bizarre you can’t help but investigate. Enter: Starface, a set of star-shaped hydrocolloid stickers that you slap onto zits whenever the need arises. The logic is, “pimples are ugly, why not make them body art,” and I challenge you to find a counterpoint. If you’re into a temp tat, you’re a mere shuffle away from a face sticker, aren’t you? Let’s go.
The only thing about the zit stickers is the potential to leave star-shaped tan lines on your face. Which is boss, potentially, but if you’d rather avoid it, Quartz is here to remind you that umbrellas are actually for sun (para-sol, remember?). On the heels of a national tanning obsession, they’re urging Americans to look East as in all things skincare and bring out the shade sticks for reasons beyond rain protection. But one article does not a fashion phenom make. You’ve got to get Billie Eilish out there with a parasol or something. Or, what if we called them “sunbrellas”? As in, “I’m on staycation and I’m hangry, good thing I brought my sunbrella for this walk to brunch.” Nailed it.
Ok, let’s give those teeth a little care, too. You’ve probably heard of Candid through a subway ad or something similar, but just in case you haven’t: they make clear aligners that straighten your teeth much faster and more discreetly than metal braces, and they’re having a huge sale right now. You just use their starter kit or visit one of their studios and an orthodontist makes a custom treatment plan for you, complete with a 3D teeth preview, and then your aligners are shipped to you. Also worth noting: for each purchase, they donate $25 to Smile Train, a nonprofit that brings safe, free cleft lip and palate treatment to kids around the globe. Nice, nice, more nice. Check out the fall sale here.
