New Tank & The Bangas, anyone? This track about self-care is a little darker than their usual, with a spare beat driven by a minor flute hook and some stylish, out-of-tune strings. You’ll note that the (already sizeable) band brought in three guest artists to repeat the line, “nobody else but myself,” which is a little counterintuitive, but we can all be separately into caring for ourselves, right? Split hairs aside, this is a jam and you should turn it up ASAP.

This year, no one’s getting laid, but if you recall, that was true even before the pandemic began. And that drop in sparks is leading to a rise in platonic parenting partnerships. As you well know (or may want to explain to someone who doesn’t), when Snake People* reach desired childbearing age unpartnered, many find it unreasonable that being single should prevent us from having kids if we want to. Anyway. The real news item here is that apparently there are apps for meeting potential co-parents! Just like online dating, it seems, but where you get down to business quickly about your visions, values and logistics. During the pandemic, the services Modamily and PollenTree.com have both seen traffic increase by 30-50%— particularly among straight users, who are newer to this kind of thing. Some of those new users are putting up with a lot of judgment from their families, but um, whose choice is it now?

*Millennials

Despite— or maybe because of— the low lay levels, you know what’s back on the rise? Cigarettes. Ok, fine, it’s really because of Covid, which is illogical re: lungs, but it turns out free time and nerves beat out reason: smoking, which has been on a steady decline since the ’80s and was expected to drop by close to 6% this year, has only fallen by about 2% in 2020. Ok, ok, there’s one more contributor to that hold-out, which is the kids who used Juul, the supposed anti-cigarette, as a gateway to cigarettes. Point is, we’re fucked.

You know how you’re not supposed to use drugstore shampoo any more cause it strips all the good stuff away? Same re: soap, but I think it would be tough to stop washing your face. Mother Dirt was founded on the ideal of letting your good bacteria thrive, while letting you wash off the grime. All of their products restore your skin’s microbiome for improved clarity— and their Peacekeeper probiotic starter kit keeps it tight with probiotic foaming cleanser, moisturizing serum, AO+ Restorative Mist, and sample-sized hydrating hair wash & conditioner. They call it nature’s dirty secret; we’ll call it ours. Treat your skin right and get $20 off with the code PEACEKEEPER. (They’re also doing a discount on their acne care kit, The Difference. Use the code DIFFERENCE for $30 off.)