Artsweek

October 2, 2025

Queentide and Babe Rainbow Say ‘Stay Cool’

By Stella Mullin, Bridget Keon

With waves and smiles from the bands, it felt like we just made new friends. But maybe that’s just the magic and chemistry of a place like Isla Vista and the people it produces.

October 2, 2025

Paul McCartney gets his feet back on the ground at Santa Barbara Bowl

By Jack Dindia

The one and only Sir Paul McCartney performed at the Santa Barbara Bowl on Sept. 26 and it was clear to the audience that even at his old age, he's still got it.

September 25, 2025

Big Thief enters new era with release of “Double Infinity”

By Sofia Cain

"Double Infinity" leans into expansive orchestral, synth and percussion backings that, at moments, tend to lack harmony.

September 5, 2025

Japanese Breakfast brings melancholic melodies to the Santa Barbara Bowl

By Lucy Dixon

American indie pop band Japanese Breakfast performed a whimsical fairytale set at the Santa Barbara Bowl on Aug. 23, 2025.

August 28, 2025

Drawn to Nature: ART 117 bridges art and science to spotlight the plants around UCSB

By Kendra Martinez

Eric Beltz worked with his students to combat plant blindness and bring awareness to UCSB's lack of an arboretum.

August 23, 2025

Summer listens for various summer scenarios

By Lauren Chiou

Straight from the Spotify of Artsweek editor Lauren Chiou.

August 1, 2025

Summer reads for various summer scenarios

By Anusha Singh

Straight from the bookshelf of Daily Nexus Editor in Chief Anusha Singh.

July 27, 2025

Let’s hear it for the album of the year: Lorde makes momentous return with ‘Virgin’

By Lauren Chiou

The New Zealand singer-songwriter released her fourth album on June 27, an explosion of nostalgia, sensuality and vulnerability.

July 11, 2025

Tracks of 2025: Tate McRae’s ‘So Close to What’ brings her so close to main pop girl status

By Kenneth Heung

The Canadian singers third studio album is an ode to 2000s dance pop production, with an added modern flair.

July 11, 2025

Tracks of 2025: FKA Twigs explores music, euphoria and sex with ‘EUSEXA’

By Kenneth Heung

Released back in January, FKA Twigs' third album pushes the boundaries of experimental pop.

July 3, 2025

To the nines: 34th annual Reel Loud festival highlights student film

By Sandra Vovk

A look back at UCSB's Delta Kappa Alpha's Reel Loud Film & Arts Festival, which celebrated nine student-made silent short films from the 2024-25 school year.

June 26, 2025

James Taylor journeys through a lifetime of music at the Santa Barbara Bowl

By Kyra Schimpf

Singer-songwriter and musical icon James Taylor performed at the Santa Barbara Bowl with a soundtrack centering travel, family and pure musical connection.

June 26, 2025

Sean Baker champions independent cinema at Campbell Hall

By Jake Turner

Following the screening of Sean Baker’s acclaimed 2017 film “The Florida Project,” the four-time Academy Award winning writer-director himself came out on Campbell Hall’s stage for a Q&A on May 27.

June 26, 2025

Tracking the sound of Isla Vista: Examining I.V. band audiences and follower bases through Spotify metrics

By Lance Sanchez

To gauge how popular or recognizable a certain artist is, Spotify calculates a popularity score from 1-100 based on the general popularity of the artist’s discography. The music scene in I.V. serves as a launchpad for ...

June 18, 2025

‘Mission: Impossible — The Final Reckoning’ is a mixed bag of a franchise finale

By Jake Turner

“Mission: Impossible — The Final Reckoning” proves once again that Tom Cruise is to be trusted with action films, even if the franchise's finale was underwhelming.