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a rebrand • a reset • a reintroduction

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welcome to the zine

In 2015, we started out as Alt Columnist. We centered primarily on alternative music, hence the namesake. As our tastes evolved and our horizons broadened, we knew we couldn’t stay limited to just one genre any longer. We also developed interests beyond just music and wanted to share these ideas with the world.

After more than a decade as Alt Col, we have finally decided to rebrand to the zine. We hope to focus on everything from music (of all genres) to art, writing, fashion, architecture, and popular culture at large.

We are so appreciative of your support throughout the decade we existed as Alt Columnist, and trust that our core ethos isn’t going anywhere. We always have and will continue to uplift small artists, underground releases, and all things “cool.” And we’ll definitely still talk about alternative music (like, a lot).

Thanks for joining us on this journey. Hang tight while we finalize our first issue.

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zine • noun
ˈzēn
magazine, esp. an often homemade or online publication usually devoted to specialized and unconventional subject matter

 

Did Taylor Swift Rip Off All Time Low on “So Long, London”?

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Taylor Swift just released her latest album The Tortured Poets Department, and her highly-anticipated “track 5” is a farewell to her love life in the United Kingdom, “So Long, London.”

The song is believed to be about her English ex Joe Alwyn, or exes if we include Matty Healy of The 1975. It’s a somber ballad detailing the collapse of their romance, underlined by a pulsating beat with writing help from Aaron Dessner of The National fame.

Taylor Swift is known for designating the fifth track on her LPs for the most emotional or personal songs. Fans have speculated for years about this so-called theory, and although the trend may have started as a coincidence, Swift has played into it with her more recent albums. The first record where she acknowledged the theory was her 2019 full-length Lover.

“So Long, London” has piqued our interest for a different reason, however. The melody presented in the chorus of this song is awfully similar to that of “So Long Soldier” by Baltimore pop punk band All Time Low, which was released twelve years prior in 2012 on their album Don’t Panic.

The similarities between the two melodies typically wouldn’t be enough to warrant raised eyebrows. But it’s not just the melody. Both choruses begin with the words “so long,” and that coupled with the melody is what seems so damning.

Are we claiming Taylor Swift ripped off All Time Low? No. But it sure does seem a little too close for comfort. Coincidentally, “So Long Soldier” also mentions London. The first verse details how frontman Alex Gaskarth emigrated from the UK to the United States: “Back in ’95 / A little boy from just outside of London / Took a fated trip across the ocean.”

It is worth mentioning that the two tunes in question are written in separate albeit both major keys, but even the tempo is close. A quick 160 beats-per-minute in “So Long, London” rivals an even brisker yet nearby 190 beats-per-minute in “So Long Soldier.”

What do you think? If I were on Swift’s legal team, I might go ahead and start penning a defense…

Credit: Ashley Osborn

Matt Jaffe’s Gleaming New Single “Just an Echo” Is a Must-Listen

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San Francisco singer/songwriter Matt Jaffe has released “Just an Echo” from his upcoming full-length titled White Roses in the Snow, and the song is an absolute homerun.

Jaffe’s reverb-laden vocals keenly cascade over the unparagoned instrumental, combining scintillating synthesizers with slick guitar riffs. The tune radiates a throwback vibe coupled with contemporary production and poignant lyricism. Lines like “Between you and me, we’d furnish a whole cemetery / With old souvenirs we’d be so much wiser to bury” leave the listener with perturbing words to chew on before launching into the closing chorus.

We asked Jaffe for some personal background on the conception of the song. “‘Just an Echo’ will always be linked to Covid. Not its subject matter, but the act of writing it. For part of 2021, I stayed with family in SoCal; my uncle, an avid guitar acquirer, had a Breedlove guitar and I picked it up and this song spilled out. Different instruments harbor different songs and this song will always be the one that found its way out of that guitar on my first day in that new living situation.”

Concerning the remarkable production and unconventional array of instrumentation, he said, “When we recorded the song, my producer and I strived to make the song not a rock song. We’re both guitar lovers so we, ironically, wanted to forge a path away from our roots. We successfully escaped many of our tropes and were satisfied to find a sound that owed to my longtime heroes but also defied definition by them.” He cites the New Wave era as one of his largest musical inspirations.

“Just an Echo” will stick with you—the catchy melodies and brain-picking lyrics are more than enough to urge you to hit replay again and again. Save “Just an Echo” on Spotify here, Apple Music here, or purchase on iTunes here. Trust me, you’ll want to go ahead and add this delectable slice of indie electro-rock to your current rotation.

“You look at me with such conviction / You’d have a non-believer fooled”