Brooklyn – New Avril – A new way of drinking coffee
...and other recs this week
Kia ora, welcome to this week’s newsletter.
My one experience of Thames is stopping at the supermarket on the way somewhere else for the holidays and just really really hating every second of it. Incredible to think that town is also home to what seems like the friendliest café in the world, run by the family of this week’s featured Takeout Kids kid: Brooklyn! Next time I’m bypassing the supermarket and popping into Sunburst Coffee Lounge instead.
–Cal
🎧 New this week on The Spinoff Podcast Network
Emily Writes joined Duncan Greive on The Fold [Apple | Spotify] this week to talk about her year on Substack and how it’s changed the writing game.
Nē? [Apple Podcasts, Spotify] celebrated the 40 years of Te Karere by getting into the weeds of where Māori media is headed with the legends Mihingarangi Forbes and Peter-Lucas Jones.
On When the Facts Change [Apple | Spotify], Bernard Hickey looked at the Reserve Bank’s latest adjustments and what they mean for things like inflation and house prices.
And out later today, The Real Pod [Apple | Spotify] recaps the arrival of more astonishingly poorly matched new couples on MAFS AU.
💿 New Avril Lavigne
Sam says: “Avril Lavigne has a new album! Love Sux is produced almost entirely by Blink 182's Travis Barker and Mod Sun, and it sees the one-time petulant pop princess riding the pop-punk comeback wave hard. Sure, it’s trend-chasing, but it’s also a reminder that nobody can twist a vowel quite like Avril can (see ‘Avalanche’, which she manages to pronounce like “ovolunch”), and that distinctive voice glides across production that does not hold back.”
📺 Ros Atkins
Reweti says: “I've been turning to the explainer videos fronted by the BBC’s Ros Atkins for snappy summaries of news happening elsewhere in the world. His videos skewering 10 Downing Street for hosting parties during a pandemic when the rest of the British public were under restrictions have gone viral for their forensic and factual dissection of Boris Johnson's government, and his ones on the Russian invasion of Ukraine have been really useful this week. Atkins' delivery is straight to the point and his analysis is so clear-eyed – if you want the cold hard facts and their context presented in such a way that you're left with the truth or the closest thing to it, I recommend following him on Twitter (or watching him on YouTube).”
💿 New Jon Hopkins
Chris says: “Jon Hopkins blew my tiny mind open with an explosive performance at the end of the 2019 Laneway Festival (miss you) in Albert Park. His new album is not going to do that. On the horribly titled Music for Psychedelic Therapy (sounds like the soundtrack robe-wearing mystics might play while attempting to indoctrinate you into a cult), the British producer crafts quiet, meandering and soothing soundscapes perfect for calming down after another day of WTF doomscrolling. Play it at bedtime and I guarantee you'll have absolutely wonderful dreams.”
☕ Espresso tonic
Charlotte says: “Coffee, tonic water and orange. I'll be the first to admit that, in theory, it's a questionable sounding concoction. But in practice, it works! It's been a trendy way to drink coffee overseas for years, but it's been relatively difficult to order off the menu locally – unless you're up for making an unusual bespoke order. Thankfully, Auckland’s Cazador Deli has added an equivalent to their menu. Called Toto, it's a mix of espresso, (good) tonic water and house-made orange syrup – the floral and citrus notes of coffee pair off perfectly with the quinine and orange. If you're not in Tāmaki Makaurau, it's easy enough to make at home too. Best enjoyed as an afternoon pick-me-up in the sun.”
🔢 Sudoku
Alice says: “It’s the original Wordle of numbers! I’ve been playing Sudoku every morning on my phone while I eat breakfast – it’s a great way to feel instantly accomplished in the morning by simply putting numerals in boxes. A numbers game that doesn’t even involve maths? Perfect.” [For a Wordle of numbers that does involve maths, see Nerdle]
OK, that’s all we’ve got time for this week. Please hit reply to get in touch, and of course feel free to share with anyone else who might like to subscribe too. See you next Wednesday 👋
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