By Will McGuirk

This edition of the Open Mic is brought to you by the letter K and the number awesome. Thanks for the years of support Killbeat.

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“We all spent a year inside. Not just in our homes, but inside of ourselves. For me, it began with the surreal experience of life imitating art in a scary way. I was ready to accept certain fates... But it didn’t go the way that I expected, and now, the strange calm that I was struggling with for so long is gone, and the world feels new again.” - Jasper Sloan Yip

“Human bodies are like celestial ones; just as a planet’s course is carved out in relation to others, our course - where we go and what we do - is compelled by forces of attraction.” - Steph Yates, Cots

“ I see Christianity and Capitalism as large-scale pranks pulled by the powerful and this video aims to celebrate some shining slivers of artful resistance." - videographer Cashew Soda: Silver Pools’ “Crushed Hat”

“I just try to make music that is honest about how I’m feeling.” - Peter Sagar aka Homeshake

“To have time on my hands and a studio at my fingertips certainly helped in making this record, but thematically, there’s a kind of reflection in the music that maybe comes from having spent so much time at home as well.” - Charles Spearin

”Typical coming-of-age feelings of loss and confusion were further conflated by prioritizing an emerging potential of a new virtual identity more ‘real’ than a physical self.” - Matt King, Absolutely Free