Sugar High’s “Songs That Make You Feel Less Alone” Playlist for COOL HUNTING

In celebration of their debut album, and of connection, a playlist made for our readers

An exchange on Instagram led singer/songwriter Kris Esfandiari (of King Woman) and vocalist/producer Darcy Baylis to unite as a new band, Sugar High, and release Love Addict, their debut together. Their music (influenced by dream-pop legends Cocteau Twins, synth-pop outfit M83, and even metal-core band Underoath) is hypnotic, nostalgic and tender. I wanted us to create our own little world Esfandiari tells us, about planning their album, …

First-Ever Recordings of Penguins Vocalizing Underwater

For the first time ever, scientists have recorded the sounds of penguins communicating underwater. While it’s commonly understood that the flightless birds chirp to one another on land to ask for help with food and foraging, the underwater calls are less understood as researchers found that penguins were “often hunting alone when making their calls, suggesting they might have been directed at their prey instead.” …

RZA: Guided Explorations

Rapper/producer RZA’s Guided Explorations consists of five episodes of meditations for creatives (along with an introduction). While the release of a guided meditation album may surprise some, the Wu-Tang founding member is dedicated to his Shaolin practice and meditation, and has explored spirituality through religion and philosophy (be it Taoism, Christianity, Confucianism or Buddhism). These meditations trace his own stories—from feeling isolated in Staten Island …