“Good things come to those that wait up,” Miguel sings in the Travis Scott–featuring “Sky Walker,” and we think you’ve waited long enough. FLOOD 7 is here in the world, and just like everything born of these times, it’s got politics in its art and art in its politics. On the one side, Miguel invites you to come along for the ride as he and Pussy Riot’s Nadya Tolokonnikova chat about the role of the artist in the age of Trump. And on the flip, LA-based artist Sage Vaughn helps us escape to a world where surreality isn’t nearly as threatening as it is in ours. You can click here to buy your copy, here to read or download the Miguel and Pussy Riot side, and here to read or download the Sage Vaughn side. And if you’d like to be sent future digital issues of FLOOD, you can sign up for that here.
Of course, it ain’t all war; some of it is leisure. Tim Heidecker and Eric Wareheim made us feel extremely comfortable while telling us the origin story of the extremely uncomfortable Tim and Eric Awesome Show, Great Job! on its tenth anniversary. Vince Staples tells us that if you think you know what his songs are about, you probably don’t. The synthesist and composer Kaitlyn Aurelia Smith takes us on a tour of the world of legendary anime director Hayao Miyazaki. Shepard Fairey takes us all the way back to his building-bombing days as he prepares for his largest-ever LA solo show. Producer and engineer Dave Sardy (LCD Soundsystem, Band of Horses) steps away from the boards and into the light ahead of his new collaborative project. Philosopher Nick Riggle makes the case that, no offense to The Lego Movie, not everything is awesome. (But you know who is, turns out? Guy Fieri. We know, we were surprised, too.) Torres helps us find stability in the middle of a hectic life. Photographer and filmmaker Andrew van Baal takes us out to the strange relics of Joshua Tree. And we pay tribute to a little band called Jawbreaker, who—you may have heard from the war cries of aging punks—are back.
As always, we’ve got your next few months of discovery charted, too, with Breaking features on The Juju, Omni, Blue Hawaii, and Midnight Sister, as well as actors Jenny Jaffe and Sunita Mani. Photographer Sinziana Velicescu stops by for a chat. And, apropos of nothing, we’ve even got some jokes for you.
You can pick up FLOOD 7 at Burton, Original Penguin, and Zumiez stores, and should you happen to be reading this in your room at an Ace Hotel, we don’t mean to alarm you, but a copy may already be staring back at you. Otherwise, click here and here to read or download either side, here to buy a physical copy. Don’t wait to jump in too long.
