Alright, I’m about to admit something that might get me kicked out of the metalhead club. I’ve been hanging out with someone who’s really into Taylor Swift—thanks, Amber—and as a result, I’ve heard a lot of Taylor lately. And you know what? Somewhere between the pop sparkle and the radio overplay, I started to realize… she’s actually pretty damn good.

I know, I know—my metal card is already being revoked as I type this—but hear me out. If you strip away the bubblegum production and focus on her voice and lyrics, there’s some real talent there. The new album, The Life of a Showgirl, dropped on October 3, 2025, and it’s ridiculously catchy. The hooks stick in your head like a tattoo you swore you’d never get but secretly like once it’s there. It’s smart, layered, and unapologetically confident. And honestly, after listening to enough of it, I get why she’s built the empire she has.

So yeah, I’ll take the heat. I used to roll my eyes at the idea of liking Taylor Swift. Now I’m humming along. Blame Amber for getting me hooked—she wins this round.

Now, switching gears—literally. I’ve finally got real sound again. For the last month, I’ve been stuck listening to music through headphones, and let me tell you, that gets old fast. My parents shipped my studio monitors up from Florida, and I was ready to feel music move the air again. I unpacked the box, plugged in the first speaker—perfect. Hit the switch on the second one—dead. Nothing.

I’ve had my Alesis M1 Active MK II monitors for nearly 25 years. They’ve been with me through everything—mixing, radio, late-night sessions—and now one decides to die in transit. I figured maybe a solder joint cracked or an internal amp shook loose, so I called around. One of the only shops still working on this kind of gear told me they’d charge a $295 bench fee just to look at it. That’s almost the price of a brand-new pair.

So, I did what any sound junkie does when faced with bad math and worse silence—I pulled the trigger. Picked up a set of KRK Rokit 5s, and damn, do they sound good. Shout-out to Sweetwater for making the pain of spending money a little easier with candy and fast shipping. The moment I hit play and that first wave of sound filled the room, I remembered why I do this. Music just doesn’t live right until it’s in the air.

So yeah, I might have lost my metal card somewhere between Taylor Swift hooks and new monitor hum, but honestly, I don’t care. Maybe that’s the point. Music doesn’t need permission slips or genre boundaries—it just needs to make you feel something. Whether it’s a scream, a riff, or a pop hook that won’t leave your head, if it moves you, it’s doing its job.

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