Single Saturdays: October 11, 2025
“Mayonaise” by the Smashing Pumpkins
Ema Sabau
I first discovered the Smashing Pumpkins when I was a sophomore in high school, at about 16 years old. Since then and probably from now on, the song “Mayonaise” will always be extremely nostalgic. As soon as the leaves start turning orange, I turn on “Mayonaise.” It has surrounded me for pivotal moments: it was played on my way to multiple homecomings, my 17th birthday party, and every fall up to this point in my life. I tend to put off listening to it too much, as it's one of those songs that holds so much significance that I’m scared of overplaying it. On top of that, it's almost six minutes long, and not an everyday casual listen. But, recently, I've found myself drowning in nostalgia, putting “Mayonaise” on repeat as I walk through the Boston Common, watching the leaves start to change color. It is inherently a sad song, the lyrics alluding to themes of isolation and the struggle for authenticity and originality against societal expectations. The vulnerable lyrics go hand-in-hand with the grungy melody, making it a perfect song to wallow to as you grapple with the changing seasons after feeling that first chill in the air.
“Fool enough to almost be it/Cool enough to not quite see it/Doomed/Pick your pockets full of sorrow/And run away with me tomorrow”
These lyrics have this sort of devastatingly romantic feeling to them. To me, it sounds like a love song to the only other person in the world who can understand the person singing. A feeling of being lonely, but never really alone. I will also always be obsessed with the sound, the sort of janky, grungy quality of it. In an interview, Billy Corgan, the lead singer of the band, explains this whistling sound that can be heard in the song. It was the result of a crappy guitar bought from a pawn shop which ended up giving the song a memorable, yet kind of annoying feedback sound. It makes “Mayonaise” unique and authentic, much like the meaning behind its lyrics. Along with its misspelled title and seemingly random name, “Mayonaise” is a beautifully unique song off an even more incredible album, and I will always catch myself coming back to it every fall.
Bemused by Double Virgo
Emma O’Keefe
Rock bands have had side projects as far back as rock bands have been around and Bar Italia’s guitarists Sam Fenton and Jezmi Tarik Fehmi are no exception. Side projects are a way for artists to explore another side of themselves and their art that fans don’t always see in their main acts. For Damon Albarn of Blur, creating Gorillaz was a way to make music away from the guise of celebrity and a way to explore new sounds influenced by hip-hop, electronic, and R&B. For Fenton and Fehmi, Double Virgo seems like a way to break away from the “they take themselves too seriously” allegations that Bar Italia knows all too well.
Though Double Virgo actually formed before Bar Italia, it's clear which band has really taken off. Double Virgo album rollouts are never as promoted, or most notably as serious, as Bar Italia’s new releases.
Bar Italia, the London-based indie rock band made up of Fenton, Fehmi, and Nina Cristane on vocals, are well known in the music scene as rockers with style, a shoegaze flair, and a reputation for being stand-offish and mysterious which audiences have often taken as pretentious and at times as taking themselves too seriously. While the band seems to be trying to change this opinion on their upcoming album Some Like It Hot with attempts at humorous music videos and a lighter sound, they’ve made what I believe to be a better attempt at this on Double Virgo’s newest album, Shakedown. Filled with guitar jams and sing-songy melodies, the Bar Italia trio made duo brings Britpop to a jagged dungeon on "Sam's Fragrant Dungeon” and on my personal favorite,
“Bemused” with lighthearted lyrics on wanting to “skip to the end/ Cause I haven’t got the time or the will to make you mine.”
Where Bar Italia’s Some Like It Hot rollout feels like a contrived attempt to make something (or convince people they’ve made something) that isn’t too serious, Double Virgo’s “Bemused,” actually achieves this. If I could give one piece of advice to Bar Italia, it’d be to go back to being what people might perceive as pretentious and sulky on their main work and leave the fun, Britpoppy sound to Double Virgo.
Tu Misterioso Alguien By Miranda!
Matilde Pedro
Tune in to this classic Argentine electropop banger—this song brings such a sense of nostalgia and groove into my everyday playlist that just gets me into happy vibes to get the day going! This iconic group, Miranda!, was formed in Buenos Aires, Argentina, in 2001. Ever since then, it has been a household name, not only in my family but in most Latinx households. The song has a somewhat humorous take on a man that is missing his ex-girlfriend and is asking her who this “misterioso alguien,” or mysterious new person, is. The happy grooves get you moving, and then vocals and harmonies automatically make you start singing along. This song has a different vibe than most pop songs that I hear in English. It gives more of a blast from the past sensation, almost like a song that you would say, “this is my parents’ go-to karaoke song,” about, but in the absolute best way possible. I listened to this song a lot as a child, and it returned to my current playlist after I spent this summer at my grandma’s house in Argentina. We put on The Voice Argentina almost every night, and the judges this year happened to be the lead singers of Miranda!, Alejandro Sergi, and Juliana Gattas. I believe we should bring this song back because it is just too good to be left in the early 2000s. If Lady Gaga's “Bad Romance” and Justin Timberlake's "SexyBack” can make a comeback, so can Miranda’s “Tu Misterioso Alguien.”