Perfume Genius: Die 4 U

Last week, Perfume Genius (aka Mike Hadreas) released his fourth record No Shape and today, the video for “Die 4 U“—directed by the remarkably talented Floria Sigismondi. The song alone is a slinky, dark and minimal tune that Hadreas’s sultry voice teeters over. Subtle erotic asphyxiation, the lyrics don’t give much away. The music video is equally full of contrasts: an almost abandoned warehouse space …

Questions & Empathy Card Deck

Part game, part self-reflection tool, this set aims to make individuals and groups see things from another angle

After launching their “Applied Empathy” speaker series in spring of 2016, the team at Sub Rosa found themselves being asked by attendees if the cards used to guide the discussions were available for purchase. These items, now known as Questions & Empathy cards, break down the seven archetypes of empathy—Sage, Inquirer, Convener, Alchemist, Confident, Seeker, Cultivator—and then ask seven questions of each in order to …

Difficult or Dangerous to Play Albums

For eight years now, music label Auris Apothecary has released albums that are difficult—and even dangerous—to play as a commentary on the ease of access digital technology provides. Some are more manageable, like a (sold-out) tape by the band Unholy Triforce which came in kit form that required assembling. Others produced by label founder Dante Augustus Scarlatti are absurdist and impossible—for example an Elmer’s “glue …