A new story from Jhumpa Lahiri, inspired by Mavis Gallant’s writing. But, first, a summer playlist to kick off the season. And, then, Eric Lach on how Andrew Cuomo brings the chaos. Plus:
• The new influencers-in-chief
• Lorde examines the myths that make up her identity
• Mussolini’s pet propagandist and, later, a literary cult hero
Amanda Petrusich
A staff writer covering music.
“Song of the summer” is a complex characterization—it’s not simply the most popular track of the season (that’s likely to be Alex Warren’s “Ordinary,” a sweet but schmaltzy ballad about eternal love), it’s the tune that, as my friend and colleague Kelefa Sanneh once put it, you’re going to hear over and over against your will, until it permeates your subconscious and becomes inextricably linked to the hottest months of the year. My advice? Just give in. Here are three strong early contenders:
1. “Diet Pepsi,” by Addison Rae
The TikTok superstar’s début album, “Addison,” is positioned to be this summer’s “Brat,” which is to say, it might be a slow burn on the charts, but it’s likely to occupy an unusual amount of space in the cultural imagination. “Diet Pepsi,” the album’s first single, sounds a lot like a Lana Del Rey song (the reverb, the breathy vocals, the hot-yet-tragic vibe), but surely there’s room in our hearts for two brooding and debauched American ingénues?
2. “What I Want,” by Morgan Wallen, featuring Tate McRae
People who dislike Morgan Wallen—and there are many reasons to dislike Morgan Wallen—tend to soft-pedal his vast and unwavering commercial dominance. Unfortunately, I enjoy Wallen’s music—I’m sorry; I tried to stop—and “What I Want” is an example of something Wallen does incredibly well: a slightly mean but vaguely yearning country song about love gone absolutely haywire.
3. “Anxiety,” by Doechii
Though Doechii originally released this on YouTube in 2019, she recorded it again in 2025, perhaps sensing that, as the doomsday clock inches closer to zero, it might be helpful to synchronize our existential spirals. “Anxiety” heavily samples Gotye’s “Somebody That I Used to Know,” a tense and melancholic song about loss, but Doechii’s voice is so bright and alive, she somehow makes peace feel possible.
Meanwhile, here’s a little summer playlist—songs that feel sweaty and wild and sad and ecstatic and hopeful, much like summer itself. Find a hammock, my friends. Play it loud.
Waylon Jennings, “Black Rose”
Lana Del Rey, “Summertime Sadness”
Lola Young, “Messy”
Bruce Springsteen, “Dancing in the Dark”
The Replacements, “Bastards of Young”
Ryan Davis & the Roadhouse Band, “New Threats from the Soul”
Prince, “Let’s Go Crazy”
Madonna, “Ray of Light”
Mavi featuring Earl Sweatshirt, “Landgrab”
Wednesday, “Elderberry Wine”
Beck, “Dear Life”
Haim, “Relationships”
Beyoncé featuring Jay-Z, “Crazy in Love”
Father John Misty, “Real Love Baby”
The Fiction Issue
Photo illustration by Stephen Doyle
“Jubilee”
By Jhumpa Lahiri
A wooden ruler with the etched faces of Henry VIII’s six wives running down the middle; ticket stubs from Hampton Court and the Chamber of Horrors, where we walked ahead of our mothers, hand in hand; a few wrappers of Dairy Milk. I still see clearly the brochure from Madame Tussaud’s, a green nameplate on the cover with white lettering. We shuddered at the likeness of one particularly sinister man standing in an olive-colored three-piece suit with old brown pharmaceutical bottles behind him. We’d seen him in the chamber dedicated to those who poisoned and stabbed and slashed. Later, flipping through the brochure, sitting side by side, we braced ourselves for his effigy; how we dreaded turning to that page. Keep reading, or listen to the story »
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Andrew Cuomo, the former New York governor, was trounced in New York City’s Democratic mayoral primary last week but appears to be staying on the general-election ballot come November, possibly running as an independent. We asked Eric Lach, a staff writer covering the race, to explain how a loser could stay in the contest, and how badly it might muck up the general-election results.
Q: Should a candidate be allowed to have a second chance like this?
