Hot Takes: Succession, Jay Som and The Others Way

Brian Cox and Jeremy Strong in Succession season two. Photo / supplied

WATCH

I made a vow to never watch another TV show that didn't have gay characters because I was bored of watching things that didn't bother reflecting the real world. But then I started watching Succession, about a family of rich, white, heterosexual, and rather awful people battling for control over their father's colossal media empire, and I was hooked against my will. Back for its second season, Succession is better than ever; it's hilarious, intelligent, and primarily a scathing indictment of wealthy people who don't know, nor care, that the decisions they make affect the lives of millions. The performances are top-notch – each actor can make you sympathise with them and hate them at the same time, sometimes even in the same scene.

LISTEN

August has blessed us musically. I haven't been able to stop listening to Clairo's Immunity, a beautiful indie-pop record that proves the genius of simplicity; some of Clairo's most straightforward hooks are moments of stunning emotional power under her warm delivery and minimal production. Meanwhile, US indie-rock singer Jay Som (aka Melina Duterte) has just released her third album, Anak Ko, a playful record that's perhaps the best showcase to date of Duterte's sharp songwriting, fuzzy synths and jangly guitars. For more purely pop offerings, local singer Navvy's new release, The Breakup EP, is a gorgeous collection of heartbreak bangers, with crisp production and brutally heartfelt vocals. To top it all off, Normani's new single Motivation is objectively the greatest song of all time.

DANCE

August concludes with a weekend of incredible local music, starting with The Others Way Festival. Now in its fourth year, the festival offers an extraordinarily rich selection of local artists, with a line-up so stacked that it spills over to a special gig the night before. On Thursday night, Green Grove (my brother!) will be sharing some spacey synth sounds from his upcoming album Machine Music, while new band Na Noise perform an early set of fuzzy pop. On Friday, there's almost too much good s*** to see, including Bailey Wiley, Church & AP, Tiny Ruins, Troy Kingi, as well as Australia's Jen Cloher. And if you're not too exhausted after that, Aldous Harding is playing The Powerstation on Saturday and Sunday.

P.S: This is my last week as a TimeOut writer before I flee to the other side of the world. You might see my name in these pages a few more times, but until then, thank you for reading, support local music, and drink lots of water.