Round Top Film Festival Offers Small-Town Charm and Big-Screen Enjoyment

Written by Roberto Soto

RTFF brings screenings, schmoozing, and stars to east of Austin

November 7, 2024

365 ‘Party Girl’ (1995) —Parker Posey is the O.G. ‘Brat’

Written by Roberto Soto

The ‘Party Girl’s mid-90s teachings sowed the seeds for these five ‘brat’ tracks.

August 1, 2024

Keep Pride Weird: The hottest spots to hit for Austin Pride in August

Written by Roberto Soto

The self-christened weirdo hub is brimming with festivities to keep the party going this August.

July 19, 2024

As A Child Of The Internet, ‘Pink Flamingos’ (1972) Isn’t That Daring

Written by Roberto Soto

Foot fetishes and a shet-ating grand finale only barely push the envelope.

July 6, 2024

'Magical queer joy': Majestic Ball brings Big Top theme to the Paramount Theatre in Austin

Written by Roberto Soto

In competitive "Ballroom," entrants dress up to keep it "real." In Austin, the Majestic event takes places annually at the Paramount Theatre

June 24, 2024

Dear Sabrina, 'Please Please Please' Give Us More More More!

Written by Roberto Soto

It's giving Dolly, Kacey, summer, sunblock, lovelorn 70s. The second single from Sabrina Carpenter's upcoming 'Short and Sweet is nothing short of sweet.

June 7, 2024

7 Tinashe Songs Better Than ‘Nasty

Written by Roberto Soto

The pop star's catalog features much more brilliant sexiness and funk.

May 28, 2024

SXSW Is Having an Identity Crisis and It Is Microcosm of Austin’s Own Cloud Future

Written by Roberto Soto

From artists pulling out in support of Palestine to famous mistreatment of musicians, SXSW’s “high quality” experience is sullied and patchy.

April 3, 2024

Spanish Rock Band Airú Sparkles On Their First U.S. Tour

Written by Roberto Soto

The Spanish rock band, Airú, transcends with a hopeful energy and quiet optimism on their first U.S. Tour.

March 18, 2024

five best songs from ariana grande’s ‘eternal sunshine’

Written by Roberto Soto

Ariana encapsulates the peaks and potholes that come from love and heartbreak in her 2024 album "eternal sunshine."

March 11, 2024

White People Will Learn, Black People Will Relish: Hulu's 'Black Twitter: A People’s History' Moves Beyond the Screen

Written by Roberto Soto

The upcoming Hulu series is an essential piece of American historiography from the perspective of Black people.

March 9, 2024

7 Films to Hit at SXSW 2024

Written by Roberto Soto

Black Twitter, DCOM-inspired horror, gay beaches and Ayo Edebiri. SXSW 2024 has the film for you!

March 6, 2024

The Latin Lover Is Back and He Has A "Mustache Goatee Combo"

Written by Roberto Soto

Your crush is a dud with a good barber and colonizer genes and your interest in him is based on a hollow perception of Latinidad. Oops!

February 9, 2024

Ariana Grande's 'yes, and?' Flips the Bird and the Narrative

Written by Roberto Soto

This review feels pointless because who really cares about what anyone has to say about Ariana Grande? Well, according to Grande—anyone but her. “yes, and?” marks the start of Ariana Grande’s to-be-titled seventh project, set to release this year.

January 12, 2024

Danielle Brooks Is As Divine As She Is Humane as Sofia in 'The Color Purple'

Written by Roberto Soto

Reprising her Tony-nominated role in the 2015 Broadway revival of “The Color Purple,” Danielle Brooks stuns in her take on Sofia in the 2023 movie-musical adaptation of Alice Walker’s 1982 Pulitzer Prize-winning novel.

December 15, 2023

To All the Boys I Loved (?) Before

Written by Roberto Soto

Through song, story, and reflection, I tell of three my first three love(?) stories. Paired with corresponding playlists, “The Omen,” “The Saint,” “Interlude,” “Dan Dan, The Nightmare Man,” “Outro,” I explore the playlist I have updated since my first crush in middle school, retelling the stories of my past loves with the foresight of a still broken, still growing, still loving individual.

Published in Afterglow ATX’s feelings

Spring 2022

Editor’s Picks for the Best Albums of 2021

Contributor (Roberto Soto, See: 333 by Roberto Soto)

If there’s one thing that got us through the (continued) hellscape that was 2021, it was music. Afterglow’s Editorial Staff revisits their favorite albums that softened the blow.

December 17, 2021

2021 Grammy Predictions

Written by Roberto Soto

Read on for Afterglow’s predictions in the most highly anticipated categories: Album Of The Year, Record Of The Year, Song Of The Year, and Best New Artist. We predict who will win, who should win, and who was undeservedly left out of the running at the upcoming 63rd Grammy Awards.

March 12, 2021

The Best Albums of the 2010s

Contributor (Roberto Soto, See: 21 by Adele)

After an intensely fought, staff-wide race and ranking, Afterglow has chosen the best albums of the decade.

December 16, 2019

Songs of Protest: How Natalie Maines and Eartha Kitt Refused to be Government Hookers

Written by Roberto Soto

For years, women artists have been silenced and shunned for sharing their political views. Just as in the cases of the Dixie Chicks and Eartha Kitt, opposition to women’s equality and political participation is deeply rooted in their identities.

December 13, 2019

Album Anniversaries: The Fame Monster by Lady Gaga

Written by Roberto Soto

Nov. 18 marks the tenth anniversary of one of the greatest contributions to modern pop music. Look back on the EP that gave Lady Gaga a diamond certification, three Grammys, and solid status as the pop icon of a generation.

November 22, 2019

Why Did She Leave: The Second Coming of JoJo

Written by Roberto Soto

We have all at one point or another sing-screamed Leave (Get Out) by the insanely talented 2000s icon, JoJo. But her absence lasted over a decade and consisted of fights against bad contracts she couldn’t help but sign at a young age.

October 10, 2019

Album Review: Deep Reflections Seen Through 'All Mirrors'

Written by Roberto Soto

Angel Olsen’s latest release, All Mirrors, finds a way to be her most bold and atmospheric body of work, while also being her deepest, most introspective lyrical showcase.

October 7, 2019