Silence, Brand! 06.30.25
🦀 WHO IS BUYING TIKTOK??? + wimbledon + Rick Owens feet pix + Fruity Pebbles water + Summerween + SeaWorld twerkfest + Fast and Furious 11 easter egg + Jake the Rizzbot + take my clothes off 🦀
ahoy, corporate crustaceans! 🦀
today is world social media day
the perfect time to crack open a refreshing can
of fruity pebbles-flavored sparking water 🥴
(gross, maybe)
from tiktok buyouts to tinder surveillance,
the digital seas are getting weirdly intimate.
here’s what today’s tides washed up:
notable tech absurdity:
zillow launched a trivia game and now we know the most chaotic way to pay off your mortgage 💸
a robot ran a store? into the ground? maybe it would have worked out better if he announced his funding rounds on TikTok like the rest of us 📈
Tinder wants our faces? at least buy us dinner first 🦀
some celebrity updates:
tracee ellis ross dropped a twisty tv spot
lebron’s still hooping 🏀
and cynthia erivo is defying… guild expectations
(her producer hat is on)
it seems we’re quite taken this monday:
beauty CEOs have taken to TikTok 💄
rick owens has taken to feet pics 🦶
squid games has taken to the streets of Seoul
the bachelor has taken to a 30th season
(someone send help)
In terms of trends? 👀
“You look happier” thanks we’re publishing newsletters like crazy 😊
last week was for midnight ballerinas 🌙
this week is for daytime ballerinas ☀️
or like, ballerinas that aren’t bound by time 🩰⏳
they’re showing off their crazy balance game
but that’s not all…
🎾🦀 wimbledon started today
and that has us wondering:
did you also get served IG reels in 2022 related to a
tennis-themed concept album appropriately titled (get this):
TENNIS by Josie Dunne? 🎾
musically, it’s very COVID-era bedroom indie pop;
that is to say, pleasant to listen to and inoffensive,
but not groundbreaking on its own
what makes this project an absolute ✨ hidden gem ✨ of its specific internet era is its yummy creative direction and brilliant execution.
the concept: each track on this album is a chapter in a back-and-forth love story (bc tennis, get it?) and like all the best internet love stories, a new chapter was released à la carte every month.
the creative: pure eye-candy with heavy ‘70s vibes throughout the art direction
found footage and audio of tennis broadcasts are combined with original visuals that emulate the crispy grain and lavish coloring of film stock
i’m especially into the fluid geometry of the album’s mid-century typeface, ITC Ronda, which was originally released through ITC in 1970
the performance video for “COOPED UP” features a bedroom set filled to the brim with vintage tennis rackets and also armchairs made of tennis balls
Josie is also credited as the editor, colorist and animator on her lyric videos, which was a delightful fact to learn
every aspect of TENNIS’s creative direction has me foaming at the mouth.
Josie and her small team worked on this for two and a half years,
and the amount of care and attention they put into crafting every detail is obvious
it’s so robust and professionally executed,
yet rooted those lo-fi vibes of early 2020s art
an iconic time capsule
a serve, if you will 🎾✨🦀 [benton]
now scrub your data settings,
stock up on crab shells, 🐚🐚
sip that cereal water, and
let’s dive in! 🦀🫧
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🦀📲 Viral Topics
Donald Trump Says He’s Found a ‘Group of Very Wealthy People’ to Buy TikTok and Keep App in U.S. (Variety)
President Donald Trump announced on Fox News that a buyer has been found for TikTok, potentially saving the app from being banned in the United States. Trump teased that he would reveal the buyer in about two weeks, and his administration has extended the deadline for the ban to allow more time for the deal to be finalized. We think we've heard this one before!
AI-Generated Psych-Rock Band The Velvet Sundown Rack Up Hundreds Of Thousands Of Spotify Streams (Stereogum)
AI-generated psych-rock “band” The Velvet Sundown has gained over 550,000 monthly Spotify listeners in under a month, sparking debate over whether the project is truly made by humans or entirely artificial. While the band initially appeared fully AI-created—complete with eerily generated photos and no real online presence—it has since posted a passionate denial, insisting the music was made by real people in a California bungalow.
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Tinder to require new users in California to use facial recognition tech to verify their profiles (Tech Crunch)
Tinder is rolling out a new "Face Check" feature in California, using facial recognition technology to verify user profiles and combat impersonation and fake accounts. New users will need to take a short video selfie during sign-up, and if they pass the check, they'll receive a photo verified badge on their profile.
New robot in Austin is turning heads and going viral (Chron)
A walking, talking robot named Jake the Rizzbot, created by Chinese tech company Unitree Robotics, has become a viral sensation in Austin, Texas. The 4-foot-tall, 77-pound humanoid machine has been turning heads with its stylish outfit and interactive speech, drawing crowds and smartphones wherever it goes.
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Police investigate Bob Vylan and Kneecap’s Glastonbury performances (The Guardian)
Police have launched a criminal investigation into comments made by Bob Vylan and Kneecap at Glastonbury after reviewing video and audio footage of their performances. Avon and Somerset police described the performances as a "public order incident" and stated that the investigation would consider all relevant legislation, including hate crime laws.
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Date Everything will make you see your favorite household objects in a sexy new light (The Verge)
Date Everything is a unique dating sim game that goes beyond its cutesy appearance, offering novel explorations of human relationships and sharp political critique. With the help of special glasses called "dateviators," players can turn everyday objects into potential romantic partners and interact with them to influence their feelings and level up personality traits. The game features a star-studded cast of voice actors, diverse representation of characters, fully voiced dialogue, and humorous yet thought-provoking storytelling.
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Rick Owens Is Getting Into Feet Pics (The Cut)
Fashion designer Rick Owens, known for his boundary-pushing creativity, has announced plans to launch an OnlyFans page featuring content focused on his feet. Inspired by an Italian countess who commissioned photographs of her feet as she aged, Owens sees this venture as a playful response to societal judgment and a way to address aging in an interesting manner.
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Good Read: Why is everyone crashing out? (Vox)
🦀📈‼️ Trending
Illegal [evolved]
PinkPantheress’s song “Illegal” has a new trend associated with it. In the videos, two people take turns introducing themselves and shaking hands while text on screen lists something oddly specific they have in common.
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