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The Guardian
24-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
My cultural awakening: a punk band told me quit drinking. So I did
I started drinking when I was 14. It was how we'd have fun as kids in Aberdeen – I didn't come across any youth clubs or anything particularly productive. You drank beer or alcopops in some shady lane, and you drank so quickly that you'd get drunk but then be sober enough to get home at 11pm so your parents wouldn't notice anything. It wasn't drinking for pleasure: binge drinking was just what everyone – regardless of social groups – seemed to be doing. During my teenage years I worked at a newsagent and I would read Kerrang! every week, which was extremely formative for me in discovering music. It's incredible how many new bands I was introduced to, and just how my music taste evolved – from nu-metal bands such as Korn to Rage Against the Machine and, most influentially, Fugazi. One day in 1999, when I was 16, I read about the hardcore punk band Minor Threat. Ian MacKaye, a member of Fugazi, was an important figure for me: he had a very specific way of approaching music and was fiercely independent. I was inspired by him, shaving my hair and wearing a beanie. A friend even started calling me Bain MacKaye. His previous band, Minor Threat, were active in the early 80s and had been part of what became known as the 'straight edge' movement, a subculture of hardcore punks who turned away from drugs and alcohol in reaction to punk's excesses. In Minor Threat's song Out of Step, MacKaye sings lyrics such as 'I don't drink', but he shortens it to 'don't drink', so it sounds more like he's telling you to do the same, which to some degree he is. It wasn't so much the music itself that grabbed me, it was more that I became interested in this perspective of questioning the mainstream. I wasn't particularly rebellious: I didn't talk back to teachers or have a problem with my parents. So the concept of being straight edge and not taking drugs or drinking seemed like the most radical thing I could do in a middle-class environment. To begin with, not drinking was just experimental, then it became a challenge. With time, I started to see the good in it. You never know how you're going to react under stress or grief, and from an early age I had just ruled out drinking as a way to deal with these things. I had also developed an ability to speak my mind or just have the balls to speak to new people sober, not needing something to help ease social anxieties. I was the odd one out among my friends. They'd wonder why I was doing it and probably made fun of me, but I was never excommunicated from my circle. Still, when I went to university in around 2003, one guy said to me: 'You shouldn't come inside a pub if you're not ready to drink and smoke in it'. People would often ask me if I was religious or if there were alcohol problems in my family. There always had to be a reason, like it wasn't a choice to be sober. That's what was so appealing – it just seemed so radical to be sober. And I have been ever since. It is largely a force of habit nowadays, not the teenage rebellion I felt back then, though I do still listen to Minor Threat from time to time. Sobriety has given me a very different experience in life. At university I spent a lot of time with foreign students who were slightly older than me. Alcohol was still a part of their social circle but in a more sophisticated way. That group included the person who became my wife. I now live with her in Finland, where I work as a lab technician. In Finland the phrase straight edge, or streittari, is well known to describe the lifestyle of those who don't drink or do drugs, but not many people know its roots – an 80s hardcore punk band. Did a cultural moment prompt you to make a major life change? Email us at
TechCrunch
21-05-2025
- Business
- TechCrunch
Spotify's new ‘Upcoming Releases' hub highlights future albums you may like
Spotify is launching a new hub dedicated to keeping users informed about soon-to-be-released albums, the company announced on Wednesday. The hub, called 'Upcoming Releases,' will feature personalized recommendations based on a user's listening history. Users will be able to access it through the Search tab on mobile in the 'Browse all' section. The hub will also feature the top 10 global Countdowns, which are the most anticipated upcoming releases based on the number of pre-saves. The hub will allow users to pre-save upcoming releases and view Countdown Pages, which showcase the track list of future albums and released singles. These pages also feature merch and clips from artists. Once users pre-save upcoming releases, they will receive a push notification from Spotify on the day of the release. Plus, Spotify will automatically add the music to their library. Image Credits:Spotify The new hub will enhance music discovery on the platform by giving users recommendations for future albums that align with their interests. It also makes it easier for listeners to stay on top of future releases that they're looking forward to by allowing them to quickly pre-save them. For artists, the new hub could allow for more exposure for their upcoming releases. The hub could also enhance the discovery of their Countdown Pages, and therefore, merch and tour information. Spotify also announced that it's rolling out Countdown Charts on its Spotify and Spotify for Artists social channels on platforms like Instagram, TikTok, and X. These charts will showcase the top 10 Countdowns on Spotify with the most total pre-saves globally. The charts will be updated every Wednesday, the company says. The announcement comes as Spotify has been updating its app with additional functionality over the past few weeks. Earlier this month, the music streaming service redesigned its app to give users more control over their listening experience and recommendations. The redesign includes new features to help users manage their Queue, current listening experience, playlist creation, and more. In addition, thanks to a U.S. judge ordering Apple to stop charging commissions on purchases through iPhone apps, Spotify has this month rolled out the ability for users to purchase individual audiobooks directly within the app, along with the option to access pricing information and external payment links.
