I do tend to like Arielle's writing (and not much care for Bethany’s) but I didn’t think it was a particularly great writeup honestly
I mean, she's not wrong. It does kind of feel like if you release an album and it doesn't make waves or whatever that the "era" is just...over. I get the disappointment when you put everything into making something and then the audience/reception is just...not really there. I'm not a musician but I get the sentiment. Kinda like how albums on here or social media get some traction on release day, and maybe a bit more throughout the weekend, but by Monday the album is old news and people have moved on to something else, which is for sure a bummer for a lot of musicians who aren't like, Taylor Swift, Billie Eilish, Olivia Rodrigo, etc. Also I think people should actually listen to what she said and not just dismiss it or not even bother to listen *shrug*
The disappointment is relatable. Where I’ve tried to land in my own life with stuff similar to this is to try to be aware of both my humorous self-deprecation and sincere negativity, as it’s not the people or systems that are excluding me who hear it. It’s the people who have supported me and who care about me who hear it. And I don’t want to unintentionally dismiss their support and care as I’m expressing my own disappointment or insecurity around my creative pursuits. But you can’t be a robot and not let out those feelings. It’s a balance and sometimes you just have to vent, so I relate.
It's a relatable speech. For me Natural Disaster is a good catchy summer record, it just hasn't the lasting power to survive colder months.
The topic of artists having kids reminds me of when I was 19 and I interviewed Will Ferrell and asked him if he thought being a new dad would influence his comedy and he got low key pissed that I’d ask that (or at least as pissed as you can get at a press junket toward an innocent 19 year old boy who is interviewing you for an MTVu show).